Death is Not an Option
by Spiderbender
Summary: Follow the stories of a group of benders as they travel through the world along with Avatar Elena and face dangers beyond their imaginations. They will encounter many things that are new and insane - will they survive?
1. The Avatar

"You are the Avatar, Elena," Monk Gyatso explained as the two walked along the winding path. It was nearly suppertime, and the fading sunlight shone on Elena's figure. Beneath a bunch of wild long bangs, you could barely see the blue arrow tattoo that marked out all airbenders. The tattoo extended from her forehead down her back and across her limbs.

"That means Avatar Kuzon died... twelve years ago." Elena looked up as the wind blew her dark brown hair out of her small face. Her hair was not boring and mouse-colored, but rather fluctuating in tones and shades, creating a sea of rippling hair. Her light blue eyes made many people believe she was blind, but in fact she had sharper vision than most people. She looked years older than twelve, very tall and skinny but strong.

"Yes, but it is alright, Avatar Elena."

"Don't call me that, I only know airbending, I'm no Avatar." Elena sighed and started heading back up to their temple.

Gyatso ran to catch up with Elena. "But that is the point! I have told you earlier than normal so that you may master the elements and restore balance to the world. You have already mastered airbending, and you're only twelve! Think of what you could do with the other elements!"

"The world is already in balance." Elena sighed as she kept walking. "Everything is peaceful." She grabbed some vines from the plants surrounding the path and tied up her hair out of her face. She blatantly avoided the comment about how talented she was. Elena knew that even though she may be good at airbending, she couldn't do such a thing with the other elements. She was evasive, peaceful, like an airbender. She wasn't stubborn like earthbenders, she wasn't smooth and flowing like waterbenders, she wasn't aggressive like firebenders.

"You will find, on your journeys, that the world isn't in as much balance as you would hope," Gyatso explained wisely. "Now, before you head off to learn waterbending or whatever it is, let's have one last supper together!"

"What? I'm leaving tomorrow?!" Elena screamed after the old monk as he laughed and raced away, balancing on top of a ball of spinning air. Elena's eyes narrowed as she took this as a challenge to race. She whipped out her glider and pushed off into the sky, overtaking Gyatso. She would miss her fun mentor, but she knew it was her duty as the new Avatar to learn to master the other elements.

When Gyatso and Elena - master and pupil - reached the temple, dinner was just beginning. Elena went to join her fellow airbenders-in-training, and Gyatso went to join the other airbending masters. Elena wanted to enjoy one last evening with her friends, without it being marred with the idea that she was the Avatar. She sat next to her best friend, Maria, who was also a great airbender. They had trained together under Gyatso's teaching, even though Maria was three years older than her, and they had learned well. Maria was almost the opposite of Elena in looks, but in personality, they were virtually the same. Maria had chocolate warm brown eyes and light blonde hair with darker streaks.

"Hey, where were you?" Maria asked as she reached over the table and stole some fried vegetable dumplings from their friend.

"You'll find out soon enough," Elena smiled. Momo, her winged lemur companion, flew in and snatched up some berries.

"Hey Momo! How's Theo doing?" Maria smiled as she patted Momo's white furred head. Momo's large green eyes widened at the mentioning of her sky bison friend, who was Maria's animal companion. The little lemur chattered on and on, sounding a bit like a cat. Elena could not understand the lemur noises, but she could understand the thought waves that Momo was sending, since any human and their animal companion shared a telepathic connection. Maria, who wasn't connected to Momo like Elena was, couldn't understand Momo at all, however.

Momo finally realized what was going on, and, flustered, she morphed into a beautiful young girl. She was only seven, but she was already a natural beauty. Her most prominent features as her white hair and bright green eyes were mirrored in both her animal form and human form. Her blue arrow tattoo shined on her forehead and arms, standing out against her pale skin and white hair. "I meant, Theo's eating way too much hay."

"Momo, we all know he does that! Come, sit!" Elena and Maria beckoned to Momo. Even though Momo could transform into a human, her original form was a lemur, and she still retained some animalistic abilities and tendencies as a human. She sat down with her legs crossed and nibbled on her berries.

Elena's table was rowdy as usual, and Elena was more than glad that she could escape from Avatar duties for one last night with her tablemates. But her happiness and relief was shattered when she saw Monk Gyatso stand up, motioning for silence.

"As you know, Avatar Kuzon died, and he was from the Fire Nation. According to the element cycle, the Air Nomads would be next. All the airbending masters have evaluated their pupils, and we have found the Avatar in this very temple."

"It's me!" another boy whispered at the jock table. He was buff and not-so-bright, relying on strength and offense more than the evasive and defensive techniques used by the Air Nomads. He was a stuck-up jerk, and his name was Afiko. He had close-cropped brown hair and deep set eyes. Elena and her friends had no idea how he was an airbender.

"Goodness, if it was Afiko I'd KNOW our world is doomed!" Maria muttered.

"He'd get a good whooping from the firebending masters, that's for sure, if he was the Avatar!" Momo growled. Elena stayed silent, knowing it wasn't Afiko, but rather her. She would have to carry the burden of the world while Afiko stood by happy in the Northern Air Temple.

"The new Avatar will need to travel to the Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribe, and the Fire Nation to learn the ways of the elements. We are allowing the Avatar to possibly bring one friend if they wish, on their journey," Gyatso continued, despite the whispering that had broken out amongst the airbenders.

"The new Avatar is..." Gyatso paused for effect, gazing over the crowd triumphantly as they quieted down, not wanting to miss a single syllable of the new Avatar's name.

"Elena Li!"

Roars of disbelief and happiness erupted around the room. Maria and Momo stared at Elena with wide eyes, and she just shrugged as she was crowded around by airbenders that wanted to congratulate her, to talk to her, to see her, to touch the Avatar...

Elena sought to get away from it all.

She ran away from the other airbenders, the people who expected her to shoot out all four elements from her fingers, who expected to be the most wonderful person in the world. She couldn't live up to the expectations, so she ran away to the sky bison lodge. They were there, resting lazily, eating up the hay that littered the floor. Elena ran up to Theo's side and laid down on his tail, thinking about the future, her future as the Avatar.

After what seemed like ages, Momo, back in lemur form, flew out to Elena's side and licked her face gently. Following close behind was Maria, flying on her glider.

"You never told us you were the Avatar. Is that what Gyatso had to tell you?" Elena merely nodded at Maria's question, too defeated to say anything. She was probably expectant of her as well, Maria would probably treat Elena differently now that she knew. But instead, just like old times, Maria sat down right next to Elena as they gazed at the stars.

After a while, Maria spoke out again. "Since Gyatso said that you could bring a friend along, maybe you could bring me?"

Elena, who had closed her eyes in thought, now opened them wide in astonishment. "You want to come with me?" After the news about her being Avatar, Elena didn't expect Maria to show any sort of friendship to her. "It'll be dangerous! I'm the Avatar!"

"Oh well, if you think you're too important now to have a friend like me..." Maria looked away, disappointed.

"No! Of course not! You're my best friend... I just thought maybe you'd treat me differently after finding out that I'm the Avatar."

Now it was Maria's turn to be astonished. "What? No! You'll always be Elena to me!" Elena smiled, grateful that she still had one true friend. Momo transformed into human form, lying down next to Elena with her white hair blending into the fur on Theo's flat tail.

"But the problem is, will they count me as your friend or your animal companion?" Momo wondered. She had a valid point.

"Well, you did start off as a lemur first," Maria reasoned with a cautious edge in her voice. Her blonde hair glistened in the moonlight.

"Yeah and besides, Maria has a sky bison!" Elena smiled. Theo then baa'd at this in approval.

"You wouldn't get anywhere on my back," Momo laughed.

"So I'll have to come!" Maria said, determined.

"Then let's go, I'm leaving tomorrow." Elena ushered her two friends out of the sky bison lodge and back to the temple. Momo returned to her lemur form while Maria and Elena used their gliders, controlling the air currents around the wings of the glider to propel themselves forward to the temple. Within a few minutes, the three touched down at the doors and walked in, looking for Gyatso. There were many bald and old and wise monks, so many that Elena soon got lost among all of them.

"Monk Gyatso?" Elena called out in a timid voice.

"I am here. I expected you to come calling." Monk Gyatso appeared behind them, looking tranquil with Momo perched upon his shoulder. He led Elena and Maria into a private room, where someone served tea and they were left in peace to converse.

"So I'm assuming you want Maria and Momo to come with you on your journey?" Gyatso prompted.

"Yes, would that be alright?" Maria looked at the old monk with pleading eyes.

"Considering the fact that Maria has a bison and that Momo was a lemur at first, sure!" Gyatso smiled with a twinkle in his eye as the three looked at each other, wondering if Gyatso had spied on them or something. Momo decisively morphed into her pale human self. Sitting next to Gyatso, she prepared to speak.

"It's settled then! Let's pack our things and get ready before they change their mind!" Momo ran off, a little more hyper than a normal girl because of her lemur-like attributes. Or maybe that was just the way Momo was.

"Bye, Gyatso, thanks!" Elena and Maria bowed respectfully, then hugged him before running off in excitement.

Elena shouted excitedly as the two chased after Momo, "Just think! In less than ten hours, we'll be on our way to the Northern Water Tribe!"


	2. The Daughter of the Moon

The Northern Water Tribe, covered in white soft snow, was filled with the normal flurry of activity that usually occurs around daybreak. The icy buildings stood tall, gleaming and reflecting sunlight all over the vast city. Many large buildings were connected by white roads and a river system, where many waterbenders and nonbenders alike enjoyed to float upon. Mer looked upon this all from her high perch up at the balcony of the chief's lovely home. She observed the people, watching their thick coats bounce around the clearing where many festivals take place. Mer was content - for now. Don't get her wrong, she's not some stuck up Tribal Princess that can't handle boredom and lack of comfort. She was just the adopted daughter of Chieftain Silas, who was the leader of their tribal community. Her origins were unknown to most of the tribe, they didn't even know she was adopted. To her, she was the twin sister of Tribal Princess Sorella, who was the real daughter of Silas, and the one who would succeed him as Chieftainess.

Sorella and Mer shared the same birthday, and they were the same age, which made it very easy to pull off the twin act. But they were not identical twins, and they did not act or look the same. Sorella had dark brown hair and black eyes that twinkled with intelligence. She was always focused and determined, and she was a natural leader, taking after her father. Mer had pale skin, like the snow, and white hair that helped her blend in with her white surroundings. Her white hair was quite unnatural, and it was never truly explainable. The one thing that stood out from her pale, slender figure was her green-blue eyes that were like deep pools of whirling sea water flecked with gold. Her beautiful eyes were never focused on one thing, she had a rather free (although still intelligent) mind that liked to flit about. She could never concentrate on something for too long... unless it was waterbending.

Mer and waterbending, the two went together like peanut butter and jelly! To her, waterbending was the world, and there was nothing she was better at. However, she liked to practice it in secret, in the light of the moon where her powers were strongest. For waterbenders, their skills were enhanced in the moonlight. Much of the tribe didn't think that Mer could waterbend well, that she could only fiddle about with the puddles of melted snow. It pleased Mer, and brought a smile to her face, to know just how wrong her people were! She was a master of waterbending, developing techniques in the middle of the night that many other benders had never even dreamed of!

Only one person knew of her true powers, and that was Sorella.

In the beginning, the sisters had gotten off on the wrong foot, and they weren't as close as their parents had hoped. But one night, Sorella snuck out of her room and out for some fresh air, where she met none other than Mer! Mer had been practicing waterbending in the moonlight, just as she had done for several years. This particular night, she was just fiddling about with the water, trying to form a new defensive technique, but she looked so graceful that Sorella couldn't help but interrupt and ask just how she had come to be so advanced without a teacher of her own. Mer had confessed about practicing each night, and Sorella had also confessed about having a secret interest in healing, which she had practiced in her room. The two sisters agreed to keep each other's secrets, as well as practice with each other every night. Since then, a bond had developed and strengthened over the years. Now, Mer and Sorella were close to their sixteenth birthday, and they had been training together for nearly five years.

There was one time where Chieftain Silas had been severely injured by a polar bear-dog during a hunting expedition. Sorella had no choice but to reveal her master healing abilities. Mer had tried to help, but she had just begun learning how to heal and she could only assist with the basics.

In the end, Sorella had been praised as a hero. Mer was not jealous. In fact, she was more than happy. Happy for her sister, as well as happy because if Sorella would be praised like this for healing, then whenever Mer revealed her waterbending abilities, she would also be treated like a hero. However, Mer could sense that it was not the time to reveal her true skills.

"Mer? Are you thinking about wild things again?" Sorella teased as she walked out onto the balcony next to her sister. Sorella's hair was in a braid, as it always was, while Mer's white hair was flowing out behind her like a river.

"Of course I am, you know me." Mer smiled as she tied her hair up in a bun.

"Well come on, your wild ideas are needed for our birthday party planning!" Sorella started walking off, obviously meaning to lead Mer to the meeting room, but Mer just stared after Sorella with wide eyes as if she had never heard of a birthday party in her life.

"Birthday party? No. It would be a waste of time." Mer's attention flitted out over the wall of their tribe, and when Sorella spoke, Mer didn't hear.

"Hello, Mer? I said that this is our sixteenth birthday! It's important, and everyone will be expecting a party."

"Okay, Sorella," Mer sighed. Sorella smiled and grabbed Mer's wrist before she could wander off again and dragged her to the meeting room. Hidden behind a beautiful waterfall of cascading water and ice, the secret location was vital to the importance of meetings. Most meetings were about war and other concerns, but the tribe was in an era of peace so the place could be spared for trivial matters.

During the party planning, Mer's mind began to wander off once again, thinking about a new technique she wanted to try that night. It was the full moon, and she'd have enough strength to perfect the attack move.

"I think we should let Mer have a say in this!" Sorella growled. Apparently, the meeting had escalated into a full-blown argument while Mer was zoned out.

"A say in what?" Mer asked quietly.

"You see? Why should we even hold a party for a girl who doesn't know what's going on around her?" One of the waterbending masters was also on his feet, Master Leiko.

Sorella was absolutely outraged at this insult towards her sister, and was about to defend her, but Mer stood up at motioned for quiet.

"Yes, it is true I am unaware of much that is going on around me, but that should not be a cause for trouble. Something is on your mind. Something much more troubling than two Tribal Princess's birthday parties." Mer glared at Master Leiko, who nodded reluctantly, admitting this.

"Yes, it's about the new Avatar. It has been a long time since Avatar Kuzon died."

"The new... Avatar?" Sorella whispered. Everyone around the meeting table began muttering uneasily about the new master of the elements. Mer looked around calmly, but was suddenly struck with a vision. She suddenly stepped outside her body, and witnessed a true horror. She was standing rigid and straight, her eyes glowing, her white hair out of her bun whipping around her face as if an invisible wind was pushing it around.

She looked like she was in the Avatar State.

She could hear Sorella and the other party planners screaming in fear. Why was she in the Avatar State? The next Avatar was supposed to be an Air Nomad. What was going on?

An invisible force began pulling Mer away from everyone, out from under the waterfall, and up into the sky. She didn't try to fight it. She was a go-with-the-flow kind of girl. She kept going higher and higher, until the world beneath her was nothing more than land masses. The cold and lack of air didn't affect her, she just kept going up. Mer observed that she was going above the clouds and up towards the moon. Once she was way up in what she presumed to be outer space, she stopped flying upwards. She took this opportunity to look around. Mer was probably the only one to have ever made it this far, and she was not going to forget it in a hurry.

A figure began to float towards her, with the same white hair as her. She had wide sky blue eyes and a beautiful flowing dress that rippled around her like waves. Mer had seen this woman so many times in her dreams, but she had never spoken to her before. It was the Moon Spirit, Yue.

"Oh Yue, why have you called me here? You are causing a great disturbance down on Earth." Mer tried to bow down low in respect, but as this was in space, she just began to slowly spin around. "Haha, this is fun!" Mer laughed as she got distracted by her inability to stop spinning.

"As much as I admire your carefree and wild behavior, which is so much like the sea, I have urgent information to tell you." Yue grabbed onto Mer's shoulder and stopped her from spinning. "I am your mother."

Mer wanted to protest, but some part of her knew it was true.

"You were born from the sea on the day that Sorella was born from Chieftainess Reine. You were washed ashore and Chieftain Silas picked you up and adopted you."

"Born from the sea...?" Mer looked up at her real mother in wonder.

"Yes. The spirit of the ocean itself dwells within you, and you can talk to sea animals and breathe underwater." Yue smiled. Her eyes were filled with sadness, however.

"Awesome!" Mer cheered. "But there's something else, something really... sad?" Mer guessed as she looked into her mother's eyes.

"You are destined to die when the Avatar fights the final battle," Yue told her solemnly.

"Like... I'll be killed in battle? How? Will it be an awesome death?"

"Er... no. I'm not sure yet, the future is unclear, you may not even die, since it's a final battle, and, well, battles for the Avatar never end until his dying breath, you know?" Yue looked uncertain, as if she knew that Mer would die prematurely but she was trying, for her own sake as well as her daughter's, to find an excuse.

"Yeah, that's true. I'll keep it in mind, thanks mom! I've got to go now." Mer grinned. Yue looked taken aback at the familiarity in which Mer treated her, but smiled.

"One last thing. The Avatar is coming. You and Sorella must both teach her how to waterbend. Sorella knows a special ability that she hasn't told anyone about, not even you. She wasn't just in her room to practice healing, there's something else. Find out what it is, for it is a skill that the Avatar will need one day. Goodbye, daughter." Yue sent her back down into her body. When Mer reached her body, she opened her eyes and immediately fell over, feeling weak and tired, as if she had run a thousand miles.

"MER! Are you okay?!" Sorella screamed, kneeling down beside Mer, stroking her sweaty forehead. "We have to get you back home!"

Mer's eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she tried to speak.

"SHUT UP! Mer is trying to say something!" Sorella glared at everyone. They fell silent. Mer smiled and opened her mouth, her words coming out in a low and gravelly whisper.

"Get... Eau..." After those two words, Mer simply fainted.

Now, Eau was Mer's animal companion. It was back when the sisters were twelve. They had followed their father on a hunting expedition and they had been attacked by a huge wolf. Mer bended the snow to cover the wolf and freeze it in the air. But Mer and Sorella had soon realized that the wolf was only an orphan cub, and Mer had convinced Sorella to help smuggle it back home. Mer and the wolf cub had developed a strong bond, and she had named him Eau. She brought out Eau after training him extensively not to kill anyone, and introduced him to the world as her animal companion.

Over the next four years, Eau had grown up to a humongous wolf that Mer liked to ride around the city.

This time, Eau was needed to carry Mer back home.

Sorella nodded and grabbed the wolf whistle necklace that Mer had carved herself and blew on it. Sorella couldn't hear the very high pitched noise but she knew that it would grab Eau's attention and call him to the meeting room. All the party planners began pacing around nervously, muttering to each other about how Mer had gone into the Avatar State and how she might be the new Avatar. While they were waiting, Sorella tried to use her healing powers to help Mer, but nothing was working so Sorella was just left sitting there next to what seemed like her sister's dead body.

Finally, after what seemed like decades, Eau loped into the room, shaking the snow from his thick white pelt, a layer over his thick muscles. He looked like any other ferocious arctic wolf, with a low bushy tail, wise amber eyes, and a black nose, but ten times bigger, almost the size of an average walk-in closet. He had a broad back that was perfect for carrying several people as well as some equipment if necessary. A handmade saddle, a perfect fit for Eau and Mer, was resting on his shoulders. This time, he would only be carrying his unconscious waterbending companion. At a sharp command from an agitated Sorella, two of the strongest men lifted her body and placed her gently on the saddle. Eau looked distraught when he couldn't reach into his companion's mind to communicate. Sorella quickly strapped Mer's legs onto the saddle, and whispered into Eau's large ear.

"Don't let her fall." Sorella stroked Eau's head before sending him off. Eau nodded and ran back out the way he came from. His running strides were smooth and long, he covered the distance between the waterfall and the Chief's home in only a couple of minutes. There, many frantic healers began running around Mer's body, afraid to move her, confused about what had happened.

"She is just unconscious, we have dealt with this before!" An old healer muttered in spite before taking on Mer's dead weight onto her shoulders. The healer seemed frail, but he was still strong enough to half carry, half drag Mer's body into her room and onto her bed.

The healers worked day and night trying to bring Mer back to the conscious world, but to no avail. However, in the middle of the next night, the moonlight shone into Mer's soul, causing her eyes to flutter open.

"The Avatar is coming!" Mer shouted as her mind cleared under the silver light. The sleeping healers around her woke up with a jolt as Mer jumped out of her bed and ran down the hallways.

"Where are you going, Princess Mer?" A healer called out after her.

"To find Sorella and Eau!" Mer answered before disappearing down a turn in the maze of hallways. Mer was only wearing a thin nightgown, she wasn't even wearing shoes, but she still pattered on through her home. The cold could not touch her. She ran outside, where a gust of wind ruffled her white messy hair, but she did not stop until she reached Eau's stable.

"Eau! Help me find Sorella!" Mer jumped onto her wolf companion's bare back and held on to the fur around his neck. Eau, still drowsy from being awakened, sniffed the ground and led the way outside and towards the ocean that surrounded the west side of the tribal place.

Are you alright, Mer? Eau asked in his deep, gravelly voice.

I'm fine, but I have to tell Sorella something. You can listen in on our conversation if you'd like, Mer stopped talking as they neared the shoreline. There, Sorella was sitting on the shore, looking up at the moon and pushing the waves away from her to prevent her coat from getting wet.

"Sorella! I'm not the Avatar! The new Avatar is coming from the Northern Air Temple and we have to teach him how to waterbend!" Mer jumped off Eau's back and ran up to Sorella, who stood up looking surprised. Eau, still sleepy, rolled onto the white sand and began to snore.

"Mer! You must be freezing! Slow down, what are you talking about?" Sorella rushed towards Mer and wrapped her coat around her pale shoulders. It was only then that Mer realized how cold she really was.

"The Moon Spirit, Yue, she took me on a spiritual trip to the moon, and she talked to me! She told me that we were the ones destined to teach the Avatar how to waterbend, because I was the best and because you knew some kind of power that no one else did, besides healing!" Mer blurted out. Sorella's eyes shot open wider, filled with worry. She obviously knew what this other power was.

"Mer, I will tell you what this power is, but I must promise you you that I do not use it for evil purposes," Sorella sighed.

"Sorella... can you bloodbend?" Mer guessed. Only the most powerful waterbenders could bloodbend, and only at the full moon, where their power was strongest. They could bend the water that was inside the blood of other organisms, force them to bend to their will.

"Yes, I can, and not just at the full moon." Sorella hung her head in shame, probably expecting Mer to pull away in disgust.

"That's cool, and useful. My mom said that -"

"Your mom?! Your mom is Yue, the Moon Spirit?" Sorella exclaimed.

"Yeah, and she said that you'd need to teach the Avatar bloodbending 'cause he'd need it later on and stuff!" Mer said excitedly. Sorella took a few minutes to digest all of this new information before opening her mouth to speak.

"But there's only one problem. We won't be allowed to teach the Avatar how to waterbend. Most people don't even know you can waterbend. We're the Tribal Princesses. How are we going to convince everyone we're capable and worthy of teaching waterbending?"


	3. The Fire Nation's Hottest Couple

"Get your Hot News Magazine here! Learn about the latest hot couple of the Fire Nation!" A vendor shouted out, waving around a colorful magazine as he tried to sell it to passing tourists and the like. Out on the edge of a road, two teenagers stood side by side, hiding their faces and conversing in scornful tones. One looked like a child, while the other looked like a normal teen.

"Everyone's talking about us," Blaize muttered indignantly.

"Shut up! You knew this was going to happen and you still asked me out! What if my parents find out?" Mavi growled back with a hint of affection in her voice.

"Are you saying you didn't want me to ask you out?" Blaize laughed. Mavi hugged Blaize.

"I'd be depressed if you didn't."

"The fiery princess and the submissive commoner, who knew? Find out more by reading the Hot News Magazine!" The vendor wailed with a tone of desperation in his voice. No one was paying attention to his magazine stand.

"Fiery?" Mavi snorted with spite.

"Submissive?" Blaize shouted indignantly.

"Yes! The fiery Princess Mavi of the Fire Nation and her new boyfriend!" The vendor had heard Mavi and Blaize growling on at the other side of the street. With an exasperated look, the couple reluctantly stalked towards the stand. They couldn't ignore the vendor.

"Do I look fiery to you?" Mavi snarled as she revealed her face to the vendor, who dropped his magazines in surprise. Mavi's face was distorted with anger and disbelief, but she was still a very beautiful girl. Her dark brown hair was stylishly cut, and very well kept, and her shocking electric blue eyes were boring into the vendor's terrified face. However intent her gaze was, the overall frightening effect was lessened a bit by her short stance. Standing at a mere four foot nine, she barely came up to the vendor's neck.

"Princess Mavi! I'm sorry, it just seemed like an appropriate description for the Fire Nation Princess..."

"Well I do suppose it's fitting," Mavi smiled as she sparked up a blue flame between her fingertips.

"Well, what about me?!" Blaize growled.

"I didn't mean you were submissive like that, sir! I was just... just..." The vendor wailed in fear and ran off before Blaize could do anything else about his ineptitude to answer. Blaize and Mavi stood laughing at the sight of the escaping vendor before turning back to the stand.

"What should we do with it?" Mavi wondered, poking around the stand.

"Don't burn it, if that's what you're thinking." Blaize teased.

"Why ever would I burn it?" Mavi gasped in mock astonishment with a blue-white fire flickering at the tip of her index finger, hovering dangerously close to the stand.

"Because you just want to deny that you are fiery!" Blaize poked Mavi before running away. Mavi snorted before chasing after her boyfriend, shouting that she was not fiery. But the real reason she did want to burn it was because she didn't want her parents to see.

The couple walked through the park, holding hands and talking idly, but Blaize wasn't being his normal self. He was talking less than normal, and his flame-red hair was hanging in his face. His tan skin wasn't glowing with humor as it usually did.

"What's wrong?" Mavi looked up at Blaize, whose head was just above hers. Mavi's blue eyes were filled with compassion and concern, which was completely abnormal. Around Blaize, Mavi seemed like a whole new girl. She tenderly pushed the hair out of his face before standing on her toes and kissing his cheek. "You can tell me."

"Am I really submissive?" Blaize blurted out. He immediately blushed at having revealed his petty worry and sat down on a bench, defeated.

"Oh, Blaize!" Mavi laughed before sitting down next to Blaize, hugging his broad shoulders. "If anything, you're the fiery one in this relationship."

"But it's true! I'm just a commoner, and you're a freaking Fire Nation Princess! You'll be the next Fire Lord!" Blaize huffed impatiently, refusing to look Mavi in the eye.

"You're not a commoner to me," Mavi said softly, trying to express all the love that she had felt for Blaize for many years. They had been friends since they were little firebenders learning how to puff smoke from their mouths. Mavi had fallen hard for Blaize at her thirteenth birthday party when he had gone out of his way (and by out of his way I mean ten miles out of his way into the mountains) to get a bouquet of the special dichondria flower, more commonly known as the fire lily, which was the only non-flammable flower in the world. It had taken a year for Blaize to find out and confess his love for her, in which time Blaize had turned fifteen and Mavi came closer to her fifteenth birthday. The two had recently started "going out" as boyfriend and girlfriend, and to Mavi, it was the best thing in the world.

"But your parents don't know, and I'm sure they wouldn't approve." Blaize sighed. But he looked into Mavi's eyes this time, to show her that he did appreciate her comment.

"Who cares about what my parents think!" Mavi shouted out the the world as she stood up defiantly. "I think you're amazing Blaize, and that's all that matters! Besides, I think -" Mavi was cut short when Blaize stood up abruptly and kissed her on the lips, pulling away quickly. It was their first kiss.

"I love you, Princess Mavi." Blaize hugged her and picked her up.

"So I'm guessing you feel better?" Mavi laughed, weak and faint from their kiss.

"Of course, kissing you always makes me feel better." Blaize smiled his special little lopsided smile, with half closed eyes and a dreamy expression on his face. It was supposedly his flirtatious smile, but Mavi always thought it was a little quirky in a cute way. "So what were you going to say before I... interrupted you?"

"I... I think I was going to say..." Mavi faltered as she struggled to think, but all that filled her mind was the feeling of Blaize's soft lips on hers.

"I made you forget, didn't I?" Blaize chuckled. "Well maybe this will help make you remember." Blaize leaned in and kissed Mavi again, but this time tenderly and slowly, making it last for what seemed like centuries on end.

When they finally pulled away, both of them were glowing and their eyes were filled with love. "Since when were you supposed to help me remember things?" Mavi smiled as she grabbed Blaize with surprising strength and sat him back down on the bench before sitting down on his lap. "Now seriously, what were we talking about?"

"Well, we were talking about your parents' approval," Blaize prompted.

"Right! I bet my mom would love us being together! Besides, they'll find out eventually, with all those magazines! Why not have them hear about it from us?" Mavi stood up before Blaize could protest and whistled loud and clear.

"Are you sure about this?" Blaize whispered as he, too, got up and whistled.

"Positive." Mavi smiled. On the horizon, two shapes, one significantly larger than the other, appeared. Before too long, the two animals landed. It was an abnormally large phoenix and a chinese dragon.

"Lux!" Mavi walked up to her phoenix companion and brushed back her golden-red plumage.

Hello Mavi, you look very flustered today. Lux commented as she ruffled her red and gold feathers.

Blaize kissed me, Mavi admitted. She sensed Lux's excitement but she ignored it. Lux knew Mavi would tell her all about it later.

"Dune." Blaize walked up to his dragon and jumped onto his saddled back.

"I still don't know how you managed to smuggle a dragon into your home," Mavi teased as she mounted her phoenix.

"You helped me, after all." Blaize smiled. It was true. When the two were only seven years old, they had gone on an adventure and found a rare dragon egg. A mother was nowhere in sight. After much convincing, Mavi had grudgingly agreed to help Blaize carry and hide the dragon egg in his own home. That had been the birth of Dune, Blaize's animal companion. It had taken a lot of effort and secrecy, as well as Mavi smuggling steaks out of her home, but in the end it had paid off. Now, Dune was a full grown blue dragon with a magnificent array of horns and other vicious dragon parts. "Now, come on, let's go!" Blaize commanded Dune to fly, and so he did, as fast as a whip. Mavi snorted as Lux cooed in amusement. They flew up as well, following closely as they headed back to the Fire Lord's Palace.

"Mom!" Mavi shouted as they reached the doors of her home. "Dad!" Mavi jumped off Lux's back as she trotted away with her tail feathers trailing behind her like a trail of red fire. Blaize followed more reluctantly, as he was still unsure of telling the Fire Lord and Lady. Dune followed Lux back to their homes.

"Princess Mavi?" An old woman queried as Mavi ran through the halls. It was Kalida, Mavi's servant.

"No time, Kalida, I have to talk to my parents!" Mavi dashed off around a corner with a sorry-looking Blaize trailing behind.

"They're in the courtyard!" Kalida shouted after the princess.

"RIGHT!" Mavi answered as she doubled back and went down the other hallway with Blaize running after her, looking utterly embarrassed.

When Mavi reached the courtyard, it was nearly sundown. Her father, Saevas was in a deep conversation with her mother, Liala. But of course, their conversation could wait.

"Dad, mom! I have news for you!" Mavi burst into the open, interrupting them. Blaize hung around the shadows in the entrance to the courtyard.

"Yes, Mavi? And Blaize, don't hang around in the shadows." Fire Lord Saevas gestured to Blaize, who stepped out reluctantly as Mavi began talking.

"Blaize and I, ever since my fifteenth birthday, have been... girlfriend and boyfriend." Mavi smiled brightly, obviously optimistic she'd get a warm reception at her news. However, despite Mavi's cheery tone, her mother and father both stared at her, surprised, and then slowly turned their cold gaze on Blaize. "Oh, fuck," Mavi muttered in a shaken voice as she realized how wrong she was.

"You are dating a commoner?" Liala snarled viciously.

"I thought we had agreed on you having an arranged marriage!" Saevas growled as he took his wife's side. Mavi shrank back into Blaize's arms, but Saevas's eyebrows just went up to the sky at this gesture and pushed Blaize onto the floor, leaving Mavi feeling alone and helpless under her father's menacing shadow.

"You and Blaize are officially 'broken up.' If you continue with this nonsense, you will suffer the consequences." Saevas and Liala swept past the two cowering kids, throwing one last cruel glare at Blaize before disappearing into the shadows.

"What are we going to do?" Mavi murmured through her sobs as she fell on the floor and buried her face in her knees, her brown hair draping over her shoulders. Blaize crawled towards her and hugged her hunched figure, trying to comfort her. His strong steady figure felt like the only thing in Mavi's world of darkness and confusion. Why had her parents overreacted?

"Well you are the fiery one, after all," Blaize joked weakly.

"I am! Let's go. We're leaving." Blaize had given her a jolt of determination, and she wasn't going to let it go to waste.

"Leaving?" Blaize got up, surprised as Mavi began to lead him down the pathway that winded towards her room in the palace. "Leaving where?"

"To get our stuff, first." Mavi ran off to her room, where she grabbed a bunch of coats and clothing and stuffed it into a satchel, then grabbed a knife and wrapped it in cloth and shoved it in her bad as well before throwing it into Blaize's arms. He just stood there, confused, holding a bag full of his girlfriend's winter clothes and a weapon.

"Well? What are you doing?" Blaize demanded.

"Leaving."

"Where?"

"To your house." Mavi replied shortly.

"And then to where?" Blaize asked warily with narrowed eyes as he followed Mavi down the hallway and out onto a rocky path.

"To Lux and Dune." Mavi answered evasively. Blaize, however, was ever so patient.

"What will be our final destination?"

"The Northern Water Tribe."

"What? Why?" Blaize demanded indignantly.

"I have a feeling we're destined to go there. Besides, didn't you just see how cruel my parents are?" Mavi turned to face Blaize, but she still looked down at the floor, angry. "You don't want to leave, do you? You have a family." Mavi turned back around to face the horizon. The sun was gone.

Blaize snuck up behind Mavi and slid his hands around her waist, holding her tight in his arms. "I'll go anywhere with you."

"Really?" Mavi looked up hopefully, and Blaize replied with a kiss.

"Yes, really. Now, lead the way, oh former Princess of the Fire Nation." Blaize smiled. He held onto Mavi's slender hand as she kept walking on.

"Well, this former Princess of the Fire Nation needs a plan," Mavi snorted. "How are we going to get your clothes?"

"What have we always done?" Blaize asked sarcastically.

"Walk through the front door?"

"Yes. Can't we do that?"

"No, dummy, your family will stop you from leaving again." Mavi lightly punched Blaize's arm.

"Oh. Then we go through the window of my room!"

Mavi laughed and walked up to Blaize's village, sneaking around to make sure they weren't caught. They opened his window and packed up his clothes, as well as some food. Blaize wrote down a quick note explaining why he had left. He took one last forlorn look at his small and cluttered room, grabbed a picture of his family, and left. Just before he closed his window, he could hear his them laughing around the kitchen, preparing to eat dinner. A tear slid down his face, and Mavi wiped it away.

"You don't have to do this."

"But I love you. I have to do this. For you."

"For us," Mavi corrected as she kissed Blaize and lead him back out of his village. It was dark, and darkness would be the perfect cover for leaving. But when they reached the stables where Dune and Lux were resting, they found someone at the door, and it was too late to hide.

"Going somewhere?"


	4. Theo the SkyBison & Momo the WingedLemur

Baaa BAAA baaaaaa BAAAAA baa baaabbaaa Baa? BAAA! BAA baaa baaaaaaa. Baa BAA! Baaa BAAA baaaaaa baa Baa baa. BAAAAA baa baaabbaaa Baa? BAA baaa baa. Baa baaa bababaabaabaaa baa! Baaa BAAA baaa BAA baa baaabbaaa Baabaa baa Baaa baa baa? BAAA! BAA baaa baaaaaaa. Baa BAA! Baaa BAAA baaaaaa BAAAAA baa baaabbaaa Baa? Baa! BAA baaa baaaaaaa. Baa baa baaabaaabaaabaaa baa baa Baa? Baa baaaaaa!

Meeww mew mew purrrr mew meow nyan mew meow? Meww meow Mrowr purrr mroowwrrr meww... mewww? Nyan nyan mew meoww purr. MEW! Meowww mew purr mrowr. Hiss! Maaaaahhh. Meowww Mew Mrowwwrr mew meoww meww... chichi mew meow? Puurrrrr. Meeww mew mew purrrr mewmew meow nyan mew meow! Meww meow Mrowr purrr mroowwrrr mewwmewww... Nyan purrr nyan mew meoww purr. MEWMEW MEOW! Meowww mew purr mrowr. Hisspurr! Maaaaahhh. Meowww Mew Mrowwwrr mew meoww meww... maaaahhhh.


	5. The Waterbending Masters

"Do you think Momo and Theo can actually talk to each other?" Maria wondered out loud as she heard her sky bison and Elena's winged lemur chattering on.

"Well, I can hear clearly what Momo is saying."

"Yeah, and I can hear what Theo's saying! I think they can telepathically talk to other animals from their own nation... Since Theo and Momo are both from the Northern Air Temple!" Maria guessed.

"Yeah, or maybe they can talk to all animals all over the world!" Elena laughed. They were already on their way, in the sky above the ocean, and they had been flying for two days. They had packed light as to not weigh down Theo, but they still had all the essentials on his extra large saddle. As of now, it was about lunchtime, so Maria had left her seat at Theo's head, where reins hung from his horns. Momo, who would stay in lemur form for the duration of the flight as to weigh less, would be gathering hay from a sack at the front of the saddle and feeding it to Theo. A small stash of lychee nuts and other berries was also on the front side, where Momo could get her own food.

Maria and Elena had packed a lot of winter clothes since it would be cold up in the Northern Water Tribe. Along with that, they had packed a small pot as well as condiments and salt and pepper, with some flintstone, for whenever they wanted a fresh meal when they landed. But for now, as they were flying, Maria and Elena ate their preserved mangos and dried apricots along with a side of honey and an Air Nomad special, preserved duck eggs. (If you haven't noticed, Air Nomads are vegetarians!)

"I'm getting tired of this." Elena sighed as she picked up yet another spoonful of honey.

"What else can we eat? Even if we go down, which we can't because we're above a freaking ocean, we would still eat basically the same things." Maria sighed.

Well, I'm not tired of lychee nuts! Momo laughed. Elena rolled her eyes and looked at the little lemur, who was happily munching on the white center of yet another one of her nuts.

"What did Momo say? Because Theo said he was happy with his hay, which he has been eating for nine years." Maria chuckled. Ilar, Theo's mother, had given birth to five little sky bison when Maria was just five. Monk Gyatso had let her choose one from the litter to be her animal companion for life, a special bond that no one else could understand. She had chosen Theo. Now, Theo who was full grown at age nine, was still eating hay.

"Momo said that she isn't tired of lychee nuts." Elena gestured to Momo, who waved excitedly as Maria turned to face her.

"Well of course she isn't! Lychee nuts are her favorite!" Maria laughed.

"Look! Icebergs! We're close!" Elena shrieked as she leaned over Theo's side to look over at the waters below them. "Get your map, quick!"

Maria obeyed, just as excited, and unwrapped her map of the world. "We are close. Let's put on some nice coats and try to look good when we land." Maria opened her bag and pulled out a thick faux fur coat, and Elena did the same. Then they pulled on their boots and gloves, and sat staring out at the horizon, just waiting to see the Northern Water Tribe's walls.

Momo was the first to spot it, after several long minutes. She yowled out a warning and pointed at the sky. It took a few minutes, but then Maria and Elena could see the white icy walls as well. Theo baa'd in excitement and hurried along, adding a burst of speed so that they could reach the city.

"I can't believe we made it!" Maria sighed as she hopped back into her spot at Theo's head to direct his landing.

"But what are they going to do when they see a sky bison?" Elena blurted out in fear. What if the waterbenders attacked them?

"We'll wing it." Momo calmly stated as she transformed into her pale human form. "Literally." Momo looked down at her feet as two white wings fluttered out from behind her back. They were still slightly small, but they looked as if they could carry her weight. Elena's eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she fell backwards.

"You have wings?!" Elena gasped once she found her voice.

"They started growing right when we left." Momo shrugged as she retracted her wings. She looked up, into Elena's eyes. Green met blue-white and a mutual understanding came between them.

"Start a diversion." Elena nodded. Momo hugged Elena and Maria, then jumped off Theo's back and soared across the sky. Since she was smaller and lighter, she sped on way ahead of them. Strong back muscles worked her beautiful wings as she disappeared.

"Wow I'm almost jealous of your animal companion." Maria admitted. "But I have Theo so I'm good." Elena simply nodded. Her dark hair came down into her face as she stared into the horizon. Maria sighed and shuffled up behind Elena before bunching up her hair into a high ponytail and tying it off with a piece of silvery fabric, revealing the small face with almost white eyes and a prominent airbender tattoo. "You have to look the part, Elena." Maria smiled before tying up her own blonde hair.

When they were right on top of the city walls, they spotted Momo waiting for them.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked. Momo flew up to them and explained that there was no need for a diversion, the whole city was already distracted by another girl that looked a lot like herself. White hair, slender figure...

"Well then let's go." Maria nudged Theo forward, and he landed at the edge of a clearing full of people. No one even noticed him. They could hear an argument going on.

"I need to teach the Avatar waterbending! My mother said so!" A clear voice shouted out, full of anger and desperation. Elena raised her eyebrows at the mentioning of her and pulled down her hair to cover her tattoo before pushing on into the crowd. Maria closely followed, with a stretch of fabric tied over her forehead to cover her tattoo.

In the center of the crowd stood a girl who looked a lot like an older version of Momo. She had white hair and greenish eyes. Momo came up behind them, wearing nothing but a thin dress. Her green eyes were much brighter and greener, while the other girl had more of a sea-green type of color. Maria quickly ripped off one of her coats and wrapped it around Momo's slender figure before turning to survey the center of the crowd once more. Behind the white-haired girl stood another girl who looked to be the same age. She had brown hair and dark eyes. They were both facing a group of elders, probably councilmen. They all wore the same royal blue robes fringed with what seemed like real fur.

"The Avatar has to learn from a real master! He cannot learn from you; you can't even waterbend!" The frontmost councilman, probably the leader, had stepped forward to confront the white-haired girl. Her blue-green eyes flashed with terrifying anger.

"I am the daughter of the Moon, Yue!" She snarled. The dark-haired girl behind her gasped, and the white-haired girl's eyes widened in disbelief. She had obviously blurted out a secret.

"Now you're spinning lies, Mer! The Avatar will not learn from you! He will learn from one of our real masters!" Elena couldn't take it anymore, she knew that a fight was about to break out between Mer, the white-haired girl, and the councilmen. She took a deep breath and stepped forward to intervene.

"Now who said the Avatar was a male?"

"Who are you, to dare and interrupt with such a petty question?" The councilman snarled as he took a step towards Elena. Mer just looked at Elena with curiosity.

"Who am I, to dare and interrupt? I am the Avatar!" Elena growled in response. The crowd gasped in unison, standing on their toes to see who dared to claim to be the Avatar. Elena paid them no mind as she glared into the old man's eyes.

"You? You are blind!" The councilman scoffed as he saw the color of her eyes. "You are not the Avatar! Guards, seize this child and throw her in the dungeons to be dealt with later!" Guards ran in, pushing through the crowd, and Elena could sense that Maria and Momo were about to jump in to help. She quickly motioned behind her back for them to stay away.

"If I was blind, do you think I could do THIS?" Elena bended the air around herself and the councilman, lifting them into the air. She made the wind whip around them faster and faster, causing Elena's hair to fly up and reveal her tattoo. The crowd below them shouted and screamed and pointed at the tattoo that marked her out as an airbender. She then pushed the air into a long blunt spear and threw it right into the old man's midriff, pushing him back and down to the floor with a thump. Elena landed much more gracefully, touching down just as the wind began to settle down. She looked around at the crowd. They were all hushed, waiting to see what would happen next. Mer walked up to Elena and formally introduced herself.

"Hello, Avatar, I am Tribal Princess Mer, daughter of the Moon Spirit Yue." Mer bowed politely. A memory flashed across Elena's mind, from the previous Air Nomad Avatar... Avatar Aang. He had met Yue. She looked exactly like Mer, except she had blue eyes. Elena nodded. She knew Mer was the true daughter of Yue.

"Hello, Princess Mer, I am Avatar Elena. I am here to learn waterbending, and I am sure that any daughter of the Moon would be an excellent master." Elena bowed in greeting and respect.

"Can my sister help as well? She knows some skills that I do not." Mer gestured to the dark-haired girl behind her, who stepped forward and bowed.

"You are a daughter of the Moon too?" Elena asked doubtingly.

Mer's sister chuckled and shook her head. "I am Sorella, the biological daughter of Chieftain Silas and Chieftainess Reine."

"Nice to meet you too, Princess Sorella." Elena bowed once again. "Here are my friends, Maria and Momo." Maria and Momo stepped forward shyly.

"Hey, Momo, you look like me!" Mer stepped forward to Momo and bent down to look into her eyes.

"I'm a winged lemur." Momo admitted. She let out her wings, which had grown already in the short few hours that it had taken for them to enter the Northern Water Tribe. Mer's eyes widened, but in wonder, not in fear.

"Well you do have wings but you're not a lemur," Mer cocked her head sideways questioningly.

"She's my animal companion," Elena said.

"I can transform into a winged lemur." Momo nodded and shrunk down back into her lemur form with wide green eyes before coming back as a human.

"Wow that's amazing!" Mer laughed. "And hi, Maria!" Mer turned to face the blonde girl, bowing.

"Hello, Princess Mer, Princess Sorella." Maria bowed low to both of them.

"Yes, yes, all these introductions are absolutely wonderful, but Mer, you are not a waterbender, and we still don't know if this girl is even the Avatar or not." The councilman wheezed as he staggered over.

Mer's eyes narrowed and she turned to Elena. "I believe you're the Avatar, and I know you believe that I am Yue's daughter. Do you accept me as your waterbending teacher?" Elena nodded solemnly.

"Me too! I'm your teacher too!" Sorella laughed. "Now, lesson number one. You command the water..." Sorella and Mer both pulled out a long loop of water out from a nearby river.

"And then you throw it at the person you don't like!" Mer finished her sister's sentence as the two worked in unison and splashed the water into the councilman's face, pushing him onto the floor once more, this time sopping wet. Elena's eyes widened at how amazing and fluid and graceful the two Princesses seemed. She wanted to try this move.

Elena lifted her hands dramatically at the puddle of water around the councilman's face, making sure to copy their stance.

"Don't worry, that's a complicated move for -" Mer stopped right in the middle of her sentence as Elena commanded the water up into a small little ball and threw it back at the councilman's face.

"Well, well, well, we do have quite an amazing pupil!" Sorella commented with a wry smile. Mer nodded in approval. Elena beamed, glad she could perform so well without having any lessons.

"That was a good stance." Mer admitted. "Whoa, is that a sky bison?" Mer looked like a small child, eager and full of wonder and innocence.

"We'll find a place for him to rest," Sorella reassured. Mer ran towards Theo and jumped on his tail. Theo baa'd in surprise and flipped her up into the air. Elena flinched, but Sorella stood watching calmly. She knew that Mer would use water to break her fall. Mer fell towards the river and bended it into a large funnel and softened her landing. She disappeared underneath the water and didn't resurface.

"Mer?" Sorella began to look worried. It had been two minutes already. "Mer!" Sorella ran towards the water. "Mer, there are piranhas in that river!" Sorella wailed. Elena, Maria, and Momo exchanged frightened glances before running after Sorella, who was standing at the edge of the river, frozen.

"Sorella?" Elena whispered as she edged near, afraid of what she would see.

"Mer is crazy." Sorella muttered, laughing in relief. Mer was swimming around the river alongside the piranhas. She did not surface for air.

"She can breathe underwater?" Elena murmured.

"Yep, and apparently talk to sea animals." Sorella smiled.

"Wow, I wish I was the daughter of the Moon!" Maria laughed. Mer bobbed up above the water and climbed out, waving goodbye to her new fishy friends.

"Come on, let's go eat. We can start training tomorrow." Mer walked on ahead, as if falling into a river and breathing underwater and talking with piranhas was nothing.

"You'll find that Mer is a little strange," Sorella warned with a hint of laughter in her voice as she followed her sister with Elena, Momo, and Maria trailing behind.


	6. The Journey to the Northern Water Tribe

The shadowy figure was surrounded by lumpy shapes on the floor.

"Going somewhere?" An old voice chuckled.

"Kalida?" Mavi stepped forward.

"Please don't stop us from leaving," Blaize pleaded. Kalida was a servant, personally hired by the Fire Lord, she was bound to stop them, to tell them they're crazy, to force them back home.

"Stop you? Why would I stop you? I'm here to help you." Kalida gestured to the shapes on the floor. "Here are bags of preserved foods, pots, salt, money, things like that. I'm guessing you only have your clothes."

"Oh Kalida, thank you so much!" Mavi hugged the old woman.

"How did you know we were leaving? Were you following us?" Blaize asked suspiciously.

"I know Mavi better than you do, little boy. I heard how Fire Lord Saevas treated her. She'll be wanting to leave, that just how Princess Mavi thinks. Now, do you want this stuff or not? I took some time to smuggle it all. There's a lot of money in there."

But when Mavi walked into Lux's nesting area, she found a beautiful sight.

"Lux laid an egg!" Mavi gasped. Lux restlessly paced around her nest, guarding her golden egg. It was about the size of a head, but it was strangely hollow. Mavi could almost sense the baby phoenix within the fragile shell.

To fertilize it it must be bathed in fire. Lux informed Mavi as she knelt beside it.

"Yes, I had suspected as much. I also smuggled a book from your father's library. It's all about raising phoenixes. Read it, and care for this egg, for I would not dare leave it in the Fire Nation, where people may steal it." Kalida handed Mavi a book with an image of a golden phoenix bursting into flame on the cover. It was called "The Life of a Fire Bird". Mavi nodded and tucked it into her bag, then wrapped the egg in her clothes and placed it right next to the book.

"Wow, I hope we raise it right," Blaize whispered. Mavi held Blaize's hand and gripped it tight for a second. Then she grabbed the bag and carefully tied it right at the front of Lux's saddle, where it would be safe. She then turned to Kalida and Blaize, who were ready to pack the rest of the bags.

There were five in total, all full of necessary items. Kalida helped attach the bags onto Lux's and Dune''s saddles before stepping back as they mounted their animal companions. Mavi made sure to have the egg sit right between her legs, where she could watch it at all times.

"Come with us, Kalida." Blaize pleaded.

"They'll think she kidnapped us or something, she'll be a fugitive." Mavi sighed.

"Yes, and besides, I'm too old to travel. Do not worry about me, Princess Mavi, Blaize. I will be fine. I promise I'll find a cover for your disappearance, buy you some time. Now go! Goodbye!" Kalida waved her hands wildly and pushed them away. A tear rolled down Mavi's cheek as Lux and Dune flew into the sky, leaving the frail old woman behind.

Do not despair, Mavi. All will be well. We are going on a journey, and I sense that the end of it does not lie in the Northern Water Tribe. Lux's soothing song-like voice.

Yes, I feel like our destiny will be much greater than we had ever imagined. Mavi replied.

"Let's make a stop at the Northern Air Temple. We can figure out how to care for Lux's egg and stuff." Blaize suggested quietly. Up in the air, it was strangely silent. There was no wind blowing in the night. The moon shone down on them, and Mavi felt at peace.

"Sure. How about you carry the egg for now and I can get a headstart on reading?" Mavi suggested.

"You'd trust me with Lux's egg?" Blaize looked over at Mavi, who was already getting ready to transfer the egg to Blaize.

"I'd trust you with my life, silly. Now take it!" Lux flew in close by Dune's side and Mavi transferred the egg into Blaize's steady hand. Blaize reached in the bag and pulled out the red and gold book and passed it back to Mavi. Lux and Dune did not separate. They stayed flying close, side by side, so that Blaize and Mavi were close together, legs almost brushing. Blaize looked into Mavi's eyes and kissed her, long and sweet. Mavi smiled and looked down at the book, blushing. She opened it to the first page and began reading out loud in a soft, soothing voice.

"Phoenixes are majestic birds of flame. They are immortal, and they will never die unless they lose the will to live. Whenever they die, of old age or unnatural causes, they will burst into flames, leaving a pile of ashes on the floor. On the day in which a phoenix supposedly dies of old age, it will look like a half bald turkey and it will have dull eyes. This day is called its burning day. From those ashes, a new baby phoenix is born. It is the same bird, and yet it is starting its life over once again. The baby will only take a few days to grow back to full maturity. Its scarlet feathers glow faintly in darkness, while its golden tail feathers are hot to the touch. If tamed, their loyalty to their masters are unquestionable and if the master is to die, then the phoenix will either die along with them or leave to live in the wild once more.

"All phoenixes are, according to legend, females, and they will give birth to new baby phoenixes.

"But the question is, how are they born into the world in the first place?

"The answer is not what you think. It is not 'Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?' contrary to popular belief. Since there are no male phoenixes in existence, male dragons are usually what prompt the phoenix to lay a golden egg that is about the size of a human head. Only one egg is laid at a time."

"What? You mean Dune and Lux...!" Blaize exclaimed.

"Hush! Let me keep reading." Mavi lightly punched Blaize on the shoulder as she continued to read by the moonlight. "The golden egg is always unfertilized, and to fertilize it, it must be engulfed in blue flames for twelve seconds, and then engulfed in orange flames for another twelve, then doused with water. The male dragon usually accomplishes this job. If done incorrectly, the baby phoenix within the egg will die."

"Well that's a lot of pressure." Blaize remarked.

"If completed correctly, the egg will then have a fiery pattern on it instead of just being a solid gold color. Within about four or five days, cracks will appear on the egg, and a baby phoenix will be born into the world. It will need consistent care, grooming, feeding, and such, for it is in a fragile state. It must be fed one shard of its egg per day at noon, as well as an herb called catnip. A small bundle must be fed to the phoenix right after it eats the egg shard. When the bird utters its first sound, you must switch from feeding it egg shards and catnip to feeding it medium sized bundles of an herb called artemisia once per week. Once it grows to a mature size, it will fly off into the wild or be tamed by a new master. And then after that it teaches you how to tame one."

"That's really complicated. I hope we can find catnip and artemisia at the Northern Air Temple." Blaize sighed.

"Actually, it seems like Kalida already knew what to do. She packed a bag of small bundles of catnip and another bag of medium sized bundles of artemisia." Mavi announced as she pulled out two fat bags full of leafy green herbs.

"She must have stopped Dune from fertilizing the egg so that it wouldn't hatch right when we were in the middle of our trip!" Blaize speculated.

"She must have known we were going out and knew that my dad would freak out so she prepared everything ahead!"

"Man, I love Kalida." Blaize smiled.

Mavi made a mock offended face. "What about me?"

"No, Mavi, I hate you," Blaize joked sarcastically. Mavi leaned in, with her nose almost touching his.

"Do you still hate me now?" She whispered tauntingly. Blaize winked at her as she pulled away. "Come on, Blaize, we're wasting time. I think we're almost out of the Fire Nation." They fell quiet. It wasn't an awkward silence, but rather a comfortable silence, because they were both tired. Mavi fell asleep first, resting her head on Lux's neck, leaving Blaize to stay awake, watching over the egg and his girlfriend.

Just as the sun began to rise, Mavi's bright blue eyes fluttered open. She looked tired and sick and disheveled, but to Blaize there was nothing more beautiful.

"Oh Blaize, I'm sorry I kept you up! You must be so tired. Here, let me take the egg, I'm so sorry!" Mavi grabbed the bag with Lux's phoenix egg in it and frantically moved about, trying to make up for leaving Blaize to guide them alone to the Northern Air Temple. By then, they were already above the ocean.

"It's okay, Princess Mavi, but I made breakfast." Blaize yawned. He laid back in his saddle and was snoring before Mavi could say anything else. She felt horribly guilty, and was determined to make it up to Blaize. She brushed out her medium length hair and cleaned up her face. She ate the rest of the breakfast that Blaize had left out for her, not wanting any to go to waste. She grabbed some dried steak and threw it to Dune, who snatched it out of the sky and swallowed it, all without even slightly disturbing Blaize. She then consulted "The Life of a Fire Bird" to see if there was anything special that phoenixes who had just laid an egg should eat.

"A phoenix mother that had just laid an egg will need to eat meat, which is unnatural, as phoenixes are vegetarians. However, they will need the extra protein if they are to be able to care for their young." Mavi read out to herself in a low voice. "You hear that, Lux? You have to eat meat." She reached into one of her bags and pulled out some more dried steak.

I will eat it only if I also get some herbs as well. Lux replied when Mavi shoved the steak in her face.

"I'll give you some..." Mavi looked into the book. "I'll give you some borage." Lux nodded and gobbled up the steak, then jabbed at Mavi until she threw some borage at her.

Why do you even like meat it tastes like the sea.

"You haven't even been to the sea, Lux." Mavi laughed.

I'm at the sea right now, Mavi. Lux retorted.

"Touché." Mavi looked over to Blaize, and noticed how he had stopped snoring. He had already been sleeping for two hours. They were probably one hour away from the Air Temple. "Blaize are you awake?"

No response.

Mavi smiled and brushed out his messy wavy red hair and wiped his face gently with a towel. She tried to be as gentle and quiet as possible so that she would wake him up, but she failed.

"I'm awake, you know," Blaize smiled as Mavi tried to wipe down Blaize's neck. She gave a little shriek of surprise and dropped the towel. Blaize caught it just before it fell out of their reach and into the ocean.

"Sorry I woke you up," Mavi looked down guiltily at her hands.

"It's okay, because I woke up to your beautiful face." Blaize touched her chin and made her look into his hazel eyes. Mavi blushed, obviously unable to take a compliment.

"You need to teach me how to flirt." Mavi sighed as she laid down in her saddle.

"I will... at the Air Temple. Get up lazy! I see it!" Blaize got up and stood on Dune's head, despite the dragon's low grumbling protests, and Mavi sat up, looking at the horizon.

"Where?" She shouted out. Blaize sighed impatiently and grabbed her and tried to pull her up to where he was standing.

But when Blaize jerked Mavi up, the egg slipped from her fingers and began to plummet towards the waves beneath them.


	7. Waterbending

Mer led the way into the dining hall, where many of the councilmen and Chieftain's advisers had gathered already. The whole room was made of ice, strong solid white ice, tinged with hues of blue. Even the floor was ice, although it had more texture to it so that people didn't start sliding around. The table wasn't ice, however, because it could potentially melt under the hot plates of food. A hallway at the other side of the dining hall in the Chieftain's home that most likely lead to a kitchen of some sorts. Servants began streaming out of the doorway carrying delicious and rich plates of all kinds of food.

"We understand that some are vegetarians, like you Air Nomads, so there are plenty of plates that are only fruit and such. But we still encourage you to eat meat because that stuff is good!" Mer reached over and pulled a chicken leg off a plate and took a bite of it. Behind her, she could hear Sorella explaining to the Air Nomads that if it offended them they could take away all meat plates entirely during their stay.

"Don't worry, Sorella. We do not want to begrudge the others of their delicacies. Plants are much harder to come by in the cold areas, and animals are your main source of food and warmth." Elena explained with wisdom beyond her years.

"Wow are all Air Nomads that smart?" Mer wondered out loud. "You're, like, twelve years old!"

"I guess we just learn things about wisdom and stuff like that as well as airbending... No offense." Maria said.

"What she means is that we try to meditate and figure out the deeper meanings of things." Momo corrected. Maria sighed and nodded to Momo, grateful she had covered up for her. If the waterbenders had thought she meant they weren't smart...

But Mer didn't care about such things. She knew most of the waterbenders around the Northern Water Tribe were idiots anyways.

"So Dad, this is Avatar Elena and her friends Momo and Maria." Mer introduced the newcomers as she approached her father. He had black hair with a few strands of gray streaking through it. He had a bushy beard that was braided into two long strands. He was very tall and thin, but it was obvious that he was very strong despite his age. His face looked stern but his eyes twinkled with intelligence and love, much like Sorella's eyes.

"Hello, it is an honor to have you visit our city to learn the ways of the waterbenders. I am Chieftain Silas. This is my wife, Chieftainess Reine." Silas scooted back slightly to reveal a small woman. She had light brown hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall of wavy brown water, hazel eyes, and small lips with a plump and rosy face.

"Welcome to our home!" Reine stood up and raised her hands for silence. "Today we welcome the Avatar and her friends! Let us dine in peace today, for the Avatar is here!" Everyone around the table cheered at Reine's announcement as she sat back down.

"Please, sit beside us," Silas motioned to the empty chairs beside them. Sorella took the lead and sat down next to her father. Mer plopped down into the chair next to her sister and then dragged Elena down so that they sat right next to each other. But there was only one chair left, and two people.

"Don't worry Maria, you can sit here." Momo pushed Maria into the chair playfully and transformed into her winged lemur form and scampered over the table to a bowl of assorted nuts. Screams resounded from the women around the table while the men roared with laughter. Momo's wide green eyes darted around the table, staring at everyone.

"That's a cool animal companion," Mer smiled as people finally calmed down and began to eat. Mer herself grabbed a portion from almost every plate on the table.

"Yes, Momo is quite... unique." Elena laughed as Momo began doing tricks across the table, causing people to throw her small pieces of food. "Do you have an animal companion?"

"Yes, I have Eau. He's the coolest wolf ever! Do you want to meet him?"

"Uh... Right now?" Elena stuttered as Mer whistled loudly. Within a few seconds, a huge white wolf ran through the dining hall. Apparently, everyone was used to this happening, as they paid no attention and kept eating. But Elena's eyes widened in fear as the big cuddly creature bounced up to Mer and licked her face.

What do you want, Mer? He asked.

"Meet Elena! She's the Avatar." Mer pointed at the little airbender behind Eau. She was cowering in fear.

Looks like dinner to me! Eau joked as he licked his lips.

"Wow Eau that's just totally rude, she is not dinner." Mer slapped Eau upside the head, but it barely even affected him. Elena gave a little shriek of fear when Mer said that, and began to slowly back away.

"Seriously though, Eau is the nicest, cutest, best wolf ever, trust me!" Mer grabbed Elena's wrist and pulled her right next to Eau, who proceeded to lick Elena's face clean.

"Ew this is so wet!" Elena complained.

"You get used to it." Mer laughed as Eau licked Elena some more.

Elena slowly got used to Eau over the course of the dinner. Mer tried to get her to calm down and feed him some chicken or something, but it seemed to Mer that she didn't like getting close to Eau's mouth.

Does your breath stink or something? Mer asked Eau.

No! Of course not, how dare you accuse me of such unhygienic things? Eau joked as he chomped up yet another chicken leg. Elena quietly ate her vegetable stew. Maybe Mer was just horrible at first impressions, but Elena had seemed like a talkative girl to her.

"Are you okay, Elena?" Mer asked quietly.

"I guess I just don't want to be the Avatar." Elena sighed as she dropped her spoon into the bowl with a clatter.

"Hey, you get to use all four elements! And the world is at peace, there's nothing for you to worry about. Besides, you have me! I'll totally help you if you need help!"

"Thanks Mer." Elena looked slightly cheery, but still tired. Beside her, Maria looked ready to drop. Only Momo looked energetic, flying around the table for food.

"Sorella, let's get them to bed." Mer nudged Sorella's side and she nodded, pulling Elena and Maria up and out of the dining hall.

"These are the softest beds in our home, I hope you enjoy them." Sorella gestured to two rooms down a long and bright hallway. Maria and Elena just nodded sleepily and walked inside the room. The doors shut, and Mer could hear snoring within a few seconds. Satisfied, she returned to her own room and began planning what she could teach Elena the next day before falling asleep.

Dawn. Mer's eyes blinked open and she immediately jumped up, prepared for waterbending action! Her hair was already perfectly brushed out, and she was already wearing her clothes. She ran over to Sorella's room and jumped onto Sorella's body, crushing her sleeping figure.

"OOF! Mer, what are you doing, it's dawn!" Sorella rolled over and got up, pulling on some pants and going to her mirror to brush out her dark hair. She put it up in nice braid as Mer began explaining in detail her plan to teach Elena.

"We can go over that octopus move and then how she can use her surroundings to her advantage and we can develop new moves together and -"

"We have to start with the basics, she's good but she needs to start at square one." Sorella interrupted. Mer nodded and thought back to what she had done the first time she had tried to bend water.

"I know what to do."

Sorella tied off her braid and ran to Elena's and Maria's rooms. There, they lay in their beds still snoring and resting.

"Wakeup, Avatar! Time for waterbending!" Mer screamed into Elena's ear. She woke up with a start, her dark messy hair even worse than normal. Her near-white eyes were wide and confused. Mer sighed in disappointment at Elena's lack of response and began running a brush through her hair. She then braided it up just like Sorella's, leaving some side bangs in the front to go along with her airbender tattoo.

"Why are we up at dawn?" Elena moaned as she pulled on her shirt and some pants. She splashed some water in her face and dried it off.

"Because then we can get the most out of the day and learn everything!" Mer ran out of Elena's room and into the next one to check on how Sorella and Maria were doing. Maria was already up and ready to... not learn waterbending. Mer hung her head in shame as she remembered that Maria would not be joining in.

"Come on, you can watch us do some boring waterbending exercises!" Sorella pushed Maria out the door. Mer smiled and grabbed Elena and pulled her out into the courtyard, which was surrounded by a manmade river.

"Right, so you have to do -" Mer began before remembering that Elena didn't know anything about waterbending. "Waterbending is fluid and graceful. You must be adaptable to anything, just like water. You must not try to fight the flow of energy, but rather flow with it. Waterbenders do not normally attack first, like airbenders. Instead, they turn their opponents' forces against them." Mer glanced at Sorella, wondering if she was doing it right. Sorella nodded.

"Waterbending is special. Every other element was learnt from an animal, the original bender. But for waterbending, people observed the moon, pushing and pulling on the tides. They copied this movement." Sorella added in.

"Tui and La were the original Yin and Yang, Moon and Ocean spirits. Tui was killed by a firebender long ago, and my mother, Yue, gave her life to replace him, so that now she is the Moon Spirit." Mer explained.

"So we must start with the basics. We will push and pull the water, just like the moon did so long ago." Sorella said. Mer brought a blob of water into the middle of the clearing and laid it evenly over the icy floor. Mer connected her chi to the water and when she moved her hands back and forth, the edge of the water moved along with it.

"That's how you do it. Now you give it a try." Mer and Sorella took a step back and watched as Elena pushed and pulled the puddle of water.

"Now, this is a bit harder, but you did it yesterday. Pull the water up into a ball and hold it there." Sorella demonstrated by pulling the water up and holding it in the center before letting it splash back down.

As Elena copied Sorella, Mer began to fix her stance. "Wider legs. Hold in your core, and pull your hands in closer to protect that core!" Elena nodded and corrected herself, all the while holding the ball of water in the air. "Good."

"Now, this is much harder. You must hold your ball of water..." Sorella grabbed another ball of water from the river. "And compact it into a ball of ice." Sorella clenched her fingers slightly and the ball of water froze with a crack into a perfect white sphere. "The more compact the better."

Mer stood there observing as Elena closed her eyes in concentration. She didn't expect Elena to get this the first time. She wasn't that perfect, was she?

But to her dismay, the ball of water gave a resounding crack as it turned to ice.

"Great job, Elena! But that's not a sphere..." Sorella began to laugh. Elena's ball of water had turned into an irregular blob of ice that looked almost like Eau. It was very thin ice, and it was already beginning to melt in the morning sun.

"You're thinking of making it ice from the outside in. That's much harder than starting at the core and moving outwards." Mer advised. "Try again."

Elena nodded, grateful for the advice, and grabbed a new blob of water. This time, she went about it slowly, and Mer could hear the crackling of the core turning into ice, slowly but surely. Soon, the water had turned into ice, and although it wasn't a perfect sphere, it was solid ice. Mer was secretly glad that Elena wasn't perfect with her waterbending.

"Wonderful!" Mer encouraged. "Try again, and this time faster." Elena smiled, happy she had gotten it. She got yet another ball of water and this time, with a loud crack, the blob of water turned into a nice compact ball of ice.

"Hold it there!" Sorella commanded just before Elena dropped it. "Now make it melt again, and make sure the water stays in blob form."

"Don't let any water drip out of your control. You are the master of the water. And when melting, it is better if you start from the outside." Mer suggested. Elena nodded, too concentrated to say anything. Mer looked around and saw Maria playing with Theo in the distance. She whipped her head back around as she heard a splash of water hit the floor. Elena looked defeated. She had melted nearly the whole ball, but she had lost control and dropped everything.

"How about we try with a smaller ball of ice first?" Mer kindly suggested. Sorella agreed and made a ball of ice that was half the size of the previous one.

"Here's a fun activity! Catch the ice ball without touching it!" Sorella tossed the ice ball high into the air, and Elena caught it just before it hit the floor.

"Nice! Let's see if you can throw it back!" Mer laughed. Elena looked bewildered at the change in her objectives - was she supposed to melt the ice or toss it?

"Throw it! As hard and as fast as you can!" Sorella got ready to catch the ball. Elena nodded and pushed the ball of ice forward. It hurtled towards Sorella, who sidestepped it. She melted it as it came near her right side and pushed it around her body and shot it back towards Elena from her left side. Elena, surprised and unexpecting, didn't have time to stop the spear of water as it hit her and threw her backwards.

"Elena?" Sorella called out as the Avatar hit the floor with a thud.

"Elena?!" Maria screamed out when her friend didn't respond.

"Shit, we just killed the Avatar." Mer muttered.


	8. The Chi Blocker

"Blaize!" Mavi screamed out as the egg fell towards the water. Lux shrieked and tried to dive after her precious egg. A blur disappeared into the water just as the egg splashed into the murky depths of the sea. Lux screamed and wailed in distraught as her egg sank into the water, never to be seen again. Mavi, who could feel the full onslaught of her phoenix's pain, was sobbing as Blaize just stood there, hanging onto Mavi like a lifeline, speechless, dumbfounded, and worst of all, guilty.

But before Mavi could even try to jump into the water after the egg, the blur reappeared out of the water. It came closer and closer to Dune until it stopped, right there in front of Mavi. Lux slowly ascended once more, head hanging with grief. The blur was in fact a soaked person in a glider holding a dripping wet bag.

"Looking for this?" A voice called out to Mavi and Blaize, strangely familiar.

"Katelynn?!" Mavi called back. Katelynn had been their best nonbender friend in the Fire Nation, but she had left after perfecting the art of chi blocking to travel the world and spread her knowledge.

"What are you doing here, Princess? And what's up, Blaize?" The glider neared closer and closer until Katelynn landed on Dune's back, light and balanced like an acrobat. She tossed the bag to Mavi, who let go of Blaize and dropped onto Lux's back.

I've got your egg, Lux, it's okay. Mavi reassured her. She tied the bag on extra tight while Lux crowed with happiness and flapped up right next to Dune's.

"I cannot thank you enough for saving that bag." Mavi hugged Katelynn, who was still pretty wet.

"What's in it that's so important?"

"Lux laid an egg." Mavi explained. She glanced at Blaize, who was sitting on Dune''s head, facing the other way. His shoulders were hunched and his head hung down low. Serves him right, he almost lost the egg! Mavi turned back to Katelynn as she asked another question.

"Why are you here?"

Mavi thought it was better not to lie. "I'm running away."

"With Blaize?" Katelynn smirked. She had always joked about the two getting together when they were in the Fire Nation. "Where are you going?"

"I can't tell you." Mavi sighed. Katelynn was their old friend, but she had obviously changed a lot since the last time they had seen each other. Katelynn had left when Mavi and Blaize were twelve and she was fourteen. Now, she was seventeen, and she was different, everything from her hair color to the way she spoke. Her hair was now bright orange with streaks of red. She was skinnier than normal and she carried herself like she was a queen. She had obviously traversed the world and was changed by it. She had a hard look in her gray eyes, and she looked rugged and tough. It was a wonder Mavi had even recognized her in the first place.

"I understand." Katelynn nodded and pulled out her glider. "I'm assuming you wanted to go to the Air Temple?" Mavi nodded. "Then follow me." Katelynn jumped off Dune's back and let the wind push her forward. Mavi turned and jumped on to Lux's saddle and they pushed forward, leaving Blaize and Dune's behind, not caring if they followed or not.

They reached the Air Temple in three minutes, and Lux had gladly landed and promptly fallen asleep on a patch of ferns. Dune and Blaize landed afterwards, and when Blaize jumped down onto the floor, Lux made the most hurtful gesture by walking away and over to a different patch of ferns. Mavi felt a pang of guilt for treating Blaize this way, but then she looked at the wet bag with an egg in it and pushed the feeling to the back of her mind. Katelynn had disappeared, so Mavi gathered some twigs and created a small blue fire. It was a lot colder in the Northern Air Temple than in the Fire Nation. Mavi ran over to Lux and was about to grab a coat before she remembered that all her clothes had been in the bag with the egg, so they were bound to be wet. Sighing in disappointment, Mavi pulled out everything from the bag and placed it by the fire to dry. It was a little past noon, but the sun seemed to be setting a lot faster than normal. She surveyed the phoenix egg. The book had said twelve seconds of blue flames and then twelve of orange to fertilize it. She glanced at Blaize, who was cowering next to Dune's long body. She would need him to conjure up orange flames, as she could only make blue. But she didn't want his help. Or did she?

What should I do? Mavi asked Lux.

I am quite angry at him for dropping my egg, but it was just a mistake. You should follow your heart on this one. What do you want to do? Lux advised before going to sleep. Mavi sighed and laid down to stare at the sky as the sun began to set, revealing the stars in the sky. What did she want? She obviously still loved Blaize, but she was still angry at him for making her drop the egg. But then again, it was only a mistake, a mistake that anyone could have made. Blaize was already miserable enough, punishing himself for doing such a thing. Would it really be right to leave him alone to deal with his problems? No. Mavi and Blaize were a team. They would make it through this.

Mavi turned to look at Blaize. He was huddled next to Dune, still and unmoving. A shard of pain pierced Mavi's heart and she gathered plenty of twigs and added it to her small fire, making it bigger and warmer. She then crawled over to Blaize.

"Blaize?" Mavi whispered as she neared his hunched form. From the light of her fire, she could see the tears tracking their way down his face.

"I'm so, so sorry." Blaize sobbed.

"It was a mistake. It's alright." Mavi cupped Blaize's face in her hands and kissed his forehead. She pulled him up and brought him over by the fire. She wiped away his tears and hugged him as he laid down in her lap, silently crying. She stared into the blue flickering flames until she, too, fell asleep.

When she woke up, she was laying on the floor. Her fire had died out in the middle of the night, and Blaize had restarted it with his orange flames. Speaking of him, he was laying right behind Mavi with his arm around her, holding her protectively. He was breathing slowly, and lightly snoring. Mavi slowly inched out of his grip and covered Blaize in a blanket, then prepared herself to make breakfast. She built a makeshift stand over the fire and filled a pot with snow. She grabbed a twig and some rope and set up a snare in a grassy plain full of holes in the ground. She then collected dry twigs and sticks and added them to the fire, then hung the pot on the stand over the fire, melting the snow into water. She grabbed the knife she had packed and set it beside her. She tended to the fire for a bit, until she heard her snare snap. She ran over to where it was set up with the knife. There, dangling from the snare by its leg, was a nice plump rabbit. It was still twitching, not yet dead. Mavi put it out of its misery by slitting its throat. She took the rabbit back to the fire, where she began to gut and skin the rabbit. The entrails were given to Dune as a little snack. She left the rabbit fur out to dry, it could come in handy later on. She then cut up the rabbit meat into small pieces and rubbed salt over it before dunking it into the pot full of steaming water. She added basil and dried sage and let it steam for a bit while she hunted around for fresh parsley and bay leaves. When she returned to the campsite, Blaize was still sound asleep and the rabbit stew was coming along nicely. She grabbed a flat stone and chopped up the parsley and added it into the stew, then she put in one bay leaf into the stew and let it simmer. Finally, when the soup smelled just right, she used her knife to take out the bay leaf and pushed snow over the fire to douse it. She grabbed a spoon and two bowls out of a bag that Kalida had packed and served the soup.

"Blaize?" Mavi whispered as she poked Blaize. He muttered and turned over onto his back. "Blaize, I made breakfast." Mavi whispered again.

Blaize just muttered something along the lines of "Mom, give me five more minutes." Mavi, exasperated, said that she was not Blaize's mother and that he would need to get up now. The corner of Blaize's mouth twitched and Mavi finally realized that Blaize was already awake.

"Come on, Blaize, please?" Mavi tried tickling him and poking him and everything imaginable, but Blaize refused to open his eyes.

"Fine, I'll just eat my rabbit stew... Alone..." Mavi said as she picked up her bowl of hot soup and began slurping loudly. Blaize just rolled over on his side and snored loudly. Mavi finally gave in and crawled over and kissed him, and he opened his eyes, acting as if the kiss had woken him up.

"I smell food!" Blaize got up and grabbed his bowl of rapidly cooling soup and ate it all before going to the pot for seconds. Mavi just rolled her eyes and munched on her rabbit quietly. She split the rest of the soup for Dune and Lux to share. Lux reluctantly ate her share, while Dune eagerly munched on the rabbit bones after he was done. Mavi gave Lux some more borage as well as some poppy when she finished eating the rabbit.

"Can you please tell Lux I'm sorry?" Blaize asked quietly.

"She already understands, and she has forgiven you. The past is the past. We have to figure out what to do with the -" The rest of Mavi's sentence was muffled by Blaize, who tackled her and kissed her.

"Well I see you two have made up and eaten breakfast." Katelynn commented. She had snuck up on the two. "Come on, I want to show you something." Mavi and Blaize cleaned and packed up their campsite. They attached all their bags back onto their animal companions before setting off toward the temple, following Katelynn's tracks. When they finally reached the courtyard of the temple, they saw several monks with airbender tattoos on their foreheads. Katelynn was standing at the other end, talking to them.

"So tell me, does anyone here know what chi blocking is?"

The group of airbenders looked around at each other and looked down at their feet.

"Right... so none of you know. When you bend the air, you are connecting your spiritual self to the air. You are connecting your chi to the air that you bend. It is the same with other benders. They connect their chi to the element they bend. This is why the Avatar has the strongest connection to their spiritual self and past lives, because they connect their chi, their spiritual being, to all four elements.

"There are many points in your body where the chi is strongest. There are several that lie just beneath the surface of your skin. If you hit enough of them, your chi is blocked and you will not be able to bend the air for a while." Mavi and Blaize already knew this, since Katelynn had ranted on about it back in the Fire Nation, but it was new to the airbenders and they gasped, scared that anyone could do such a thing to a bender.

"You see, I am a nonbender, but I can block your bending so that you can't do anything to me. I will now have Mavi come and demonstrate." Mavi groaned in disappointment. Katelynn had practiced chi blocking on her before, and it was not pleasant.

"No, I'll do it." Blaize stepped forward. Mavi snorted but let him go ahead. Guys were so overprotective these days.

"Right, so Blaize is a firebender. Go on, show your stuff." Katelynn commanded. Blaize stood there awkwardly and shot some fire out of his fingertips.

"Come on, Blaize! Show them that dragon move!" Mavi shouted out in encouragement. Blaize looked slightly embarrassed to be showing off, but he gestured to the airbenders to stay back. They took several steps back, and so did Katelynn. Blaize then simultaneously shot fire out of both his hands and his mouth. It was spectacular, and utterly terrifying. When Blaize stopped, Katelynn nodded.

"So now you all know he is a powerful firebender. Now I will show you the points on his body where his chi is strongest." The airbenders came in close and watched as Katelynn pointed to several points on his body. "Now, he will attack me, and I will hit about four or five of those points and he won't be able to bend fire anymore."

"Forever?" A small voice asked from the middle of the airbenders.

"No, only temporarily. If I hit him lightly, I'm sure it'll only last a few minutes." Katelynn reassured. "But if I hit him hard, he won't be able to for hours. Come at me, Blaize." Katelynn motioned for the others to back away but watch closely. Blaize threw a fireball at Katelynn and she easily dodged it with acrobatic movements. He ran towards her and prepared to slam down on her slender figure with a flaming fist, but Katelynn ran under his flying figure and threw five precise punches at Blaize's twisting body. Before any of them, including Blaize, had registered what happened, Blaize fell on the floor, moaning in pain.

"Now, Blaize, try to firebend again." Katelynn commanded. Blaize got up, slightly limping, and tried to throw a fireball at Katelynn. Nothing happened.

"I hate when this happens!" Blaize moaned as he fell to the floor. Mavi, worried, went to Blaize and lightly touched his bruised muscles.

"Are you okay? You should have let me do it." Mavi kissed Blaize's cheek and pulled him over to the edge of the courtyard. She sat down to watch the rest of the lesson and Blaize rested his head in her lap.

"That's all fake! Blocking someone's bending is impossible!" A tall and buff boy protested. He had close-cropped brown hair and deep set eyes.

"What's your name?" Katelynn stepped up. She had a short temper, and this boy was about to blow it.

"My name's Afiko, coolest of the airbenders! And I think your little chi blocking is a hoax!" Afiko stepped forward and pushed a mass of air towards Katelynn, who easily dodged it.

"Hit him hard!" Blaize called out as Katelynn's hair began to change color to the blackest of black. This meant she was about to get really pissed off.

"A hoax? Why don't you come and try me, you little wimp?" Katelynn hissed as Afiko tried to airbend his way out of a fight.

"Did you call me a wimp? I could flatten you!" Afiko charged towards Katelynn. She grinned evilly, and at the last second sidestepped and punched Afiko's chi points as hard as she could. Afiko fell from the pain and landed on his face, moaning and groaning in pain.

"What did you say, Afiko?" Katelynn taunted. Her hair was beginning to return to its normal shade of orange.

"WOO! GO KATELYNN!" Blaize cheered. He was already feeling better, since Katelynn had only hit him lightly.

"Yeah! Afiko got his butt kicked by a girl!" Mavi laughed. At this, Afiko got up, enraged, and tried to airbend, but nothing happened.

"WH-WHAT-WHAT HAPPENED?! I CAN'T AIRBEND!" Afiko wailed. He fell on his face, tired and in pain, crying to himself. "She's taken my bending away... FOREVER!"

"Shut up, you useless lump. You'll be fine in a few hours." Katelynn kicked his butt one more time as he crawled away back to the temple. "Now, what did we learn today, my young pupils?"

"That Afiko is a useless lump!" A little girl shouted out loud.

"We already knew that." A boy replied with a smirk. "We have learned that chi blocking is very serious and that our chi points, where our chi is strongest, are also our weakest points. They're like our pressure points."

"Very well stated!" Katelynn nodded. "Since you all are airbenders, you are all naturally flexible and will find and follow the path of least resistance. You are all very dynamic, and on the defensive side. This is good for chi blocking. You must avoid all attacks until you find the optimum opportunity to hit their chi points."

"And since you are airbenders, you can bend the air and hit someone else's chi points from a distance." Mavi added in.

"And this will also work on a nonbender. It will temporarily paralyze them though, instead of taking away their bending." Katelynn explained. "Now, I think we should practice some more... How about on those firebenders?" Mavi and Blaize widened their eyes in dismay, and before they could run away, they were grabbed and held hostage.

"Please don't kill us!" Blaize wailed.

"Oh don't worry. We'll try not to."


	9. The Bribe

"Elena?" Maria whispered as she knelt by her close friend of so many years. Her eyes were closed, her limbs splayed. There was a dark wet spot where the spear of water had hit her and soaked into her clothes.

Elena's eyes suddenly opened and she jumped up, scaring Maria to near-death as well as everyone else that had crowded around her. "THAT WAS SO COOL, SORELLA!"

"Elena, I thought you were dead!" Sorella wailed as she clutched her heart, relieved that she had not killed the Avatar.

"Death is not an option." Elena solemnly stated. Mer nodded, taking this to heart.

"ELENA!" Maria jumped up and tackled her friend, hugging her.

"Wow, okay, Maria, I still have a bruise on my chest." Elena wheezed as she was crushed by Maria.

"Sorry!" Maria squeaked in fear as she rolled off of Elena. Elena smiled and got up once more, then looked at Mer and Sorella expectantly.

"Well? Tell me how you did that!"

"Eager as always," Sorella muttered. She was just grumpy because of fear.

"Right so, that taught you a very important lesson about waterbending. Stopping water and then pushing it back, like what you did with the ice ball, takes a lot more energy than just redirecting the water's path. Sorella simply guided the water around her and back towards you!" Mer was quite happy about her student's eagerness to learn.

"Amazing! So if I did that with ten blobs of water, could I shoot them out in all directions?" Elena asked as she formulated the possibility in her head.

"Yeah... Yeah! That would be a great move for when you're surrounded by enemies!" Mer shouted in wonder. Why hadn't she thought of this earlier? She brought out a long loop of water from the river and spun it around herself, faster and faster until it was just a blur of blue around her neck. "Remember, when I release the water, loop it back at me!" Mer instructed. Five other waterbenders joined in, standing in a circle around Mer, ready to redirect the water at her. Suddenly, seven spears of water shot out toward each waterbender at high speeds. In sync, all the waterbenders, including Elena, stepped to the left and guided the water around their bodies and back to Mer. Right before they hit her, Mer forced a circle of ice to rise around her and take the hits before letting it fall back into place. The clearing looked unchanged except for a few puddles of water here and there.

"Wow Mer, that was amazing!" One waterbender complimented her.

"Thanks!" Mer smiled. Every waterbender approved of her waterbending skills before walking away, all except for one. It was Sao. He was one of the strongest waterbenders, and was considered the youngest masters in all of the Northern Water Tribe. His blonde hair was in sharp contrast with his tan skin, but Mer found it kind of cute.

"That was great, Mer, I feel like I could learn a few things from you. Could you teach me alongside the Avatar?" Sao murmured into Mer's ear. His spiked up hair brushed against Mer's white hair as he came closer and closer. Mer looked up into Sao's clear blue eyes... that looked so much like her mother's? Mer burst out laughing as she thought of this. Sao smiled, confused. "Did I say something funny?"

"No it's just my mind running wild again," Mer blushed. "But I would love to help you with waterbending..."

Sao nodded and backed away, and Mer was almost disappointed that he hadn't kept going. Why did she have to laugh? Mer silently berated herself before continuing, turning to Elena and quizzing her on waterbending things. But this time, her mind wasn't on the water. It was on Sao.

**Chapter Nine and Three Quarters - Sao's Observations**

Sao had tried to make a move on Mer, but she had laughed. He felt slightly bad, but Mer was just like that, and that was exactly how he liked her. He backed off and watched as Mer began to try and teach Elena more waterbending skills, but she didn't seem as focused as normal.

"Perhaps I should leave, if I'm messing with your lesson?" Sao suggested. He did want to get closer to Mer, but if it meant sabotaging Avatar Elena's chances at learning how to waterbend, he didn't want to do it.

"No! Don't leave. Maybe you could help me teach her instead!" Mer suggested. She was blushing again, and pleading with her sea-green eyes.

"Fine." Sao gave in and stepped forward beside Mer. He was half a head taller than her. "So the basic point of waterbending is to redirect the path of water to your will. Everything you do in waterbending is either pushing or pulling. There is also a more modern way of waterbending that is more aggressive and direct than the traditional waterbending style. The modern style is used in pro-bending tournaments." Sao explained. He seemed so cool and composed. He had explained something that Mer could not even begin to form into words. He was a true master of water, not a little girl who had played with the water in the moon. Mer was not jealous, on the contrary, she was full of admiration.

"Pro-bending tournaments?" Elena asked. She looked confused and clueless.

"Looks like I'll have to educate her on the ways of the world as well." Mer muttered jokingly into Sao's ear. He smiled, his eyes twinkling with laughter.

"Pro-bending tournaments are where teams of three different kinds of benders work together and push another team off the hexagonal playing field. I promise to take you to the championships that are in six days in Republic City if you can win a waterbending fight against Mer using the techniques we teach you." Elena's eyes widened in anticipation, and Mer knew that Sao had said the right thing. He was a perfect teacher, patient and willing to reward for good performance.

Sorella slid over and nudged Mer's side. "You're in love, Mer!" She teased in a sing-song whisper. Mer glared at Sorella to shut up but it was too late.

"Mer, you love Sao? Are you guys going out or something?" Elena gasped. She hopped up and down with excitement as her teachers looked at each other. Sao raised his eyebrows as he faced Mer.

"Well? Are we going out?"

Sorella gasped and started jumping around with Elena as Mer just stood there stunned. Sao knew that approaching her like that would make her run away, but he had to give it a shot.

"COME ON MER, SAY YES!" Maria screamed out as she ran behind Mer to block her only exit.

"Well I suppose our first date could be that pro-bending championship?" Mer suggested nervously when she saw that she couldn't avoid answering. Sao smiled, flashing his white teeth, and nodded. He didn't want her to feel more awkward, so he hugged her gently and turned back around to teach Elena some more waterbending. Mer just stood there frozen behind him.

"So... let's move on to using other fluid movements, like the water whip, shall we?" Sao suggested. He knew Mer too well, and was anticipating a thump any second. And sure enough, after a minute, Elena gasped as Mer fell on the floor smiling blissfully. Sao smiled wistfully as he continued to bend the water.

"Don't worry, she does this all the time." Sorella explained, slightly embarrassed, as she knelt beside Mer's limp body. Elena nodded awkwardly and stepped forward, whipping her water toward a crudely built snowman. When her water whip made contact, the snowman fell apart.

"That was very good, Elena, but your whip was a little slow. The attack would have been very blunt and not too harmful. If you had a wider stance like this," Sao got into position and Elena hurried to copy him. "You'd have more balance and you would be able to make the whip faster to catch your opponent by surprise. Also, if you really wanted to, you could make a really sharp whip that could cut through things." Sao quickly reconstructed the snowman, this time making it nice and even, then bended his water into a whip. He brought it back and then took a step forward and slashed at the snowman with lightning speed and cut through the snowman's body. The top half slid down and fell to the ground. Elena's jaw dropped and she rebuilt the snowman before trying it herself. Sao could hear Mer slowly getting back up behind him.

"There's also a little extra that I made up, you can freeze the tip of the whip." Mer said. She stood a little ways away from Sao, obviously still too awkward to figure out how to get closer to him. This kind of interaction went on for three more days. Sao and Mer would stand close to each other, but still half a foot away. Sorella would stand next to her sister, exasperated at her lack of affection. Mer would be flustered at the beginning of the lessons, but once she got into the flow of things, she would perform spectacular movements.

With three teachers, Elena excelled, surprising and impressing Sao as he watched her push on through each exercise with flying colors. Some had taken longer than others, but Elena really got the hang of waterbending. It was, after all, the element bending that most closely resembled the movements and style of airbending. Even so, she was able to perform complicated moves that some of the more advanced waterbending students could not.

"Okay so today everyone is going to learn a move I devised two nights ago!" Mer announced as she jumped into the middle of a river. It was the morning before Sao had planned for Elena and Mer to have a mock waterbending battle, which would take place in the afternoon. "I call it the Octopus." Sao stood admiring Mer. She spent day and night doing all she could to teach Elena waterbending. She was so smart as to develop her own unique fighting style as well as personalized moves. "You can use this move to attack and defend from all sides. It's quite hard, and I do not expect any of you to get it in one try." Mer smiled, her sea-green eyes clear and focused. She bent her knees, with her feet shoulder-length apart. She summoned the water from around her feet and looped it around her waist. Mer raised her arms, and the loop of water lashed out. Eight thick ropes of water, following Mer's command, waved around the air like little octopus tentacles.

"Wow." Elena muttered.

"You must maintain control of all eight water tentacles, which is an extremely difficult task. You must keep them all strong. Then, they will help deflect attacks from all sides. You can also launch your own attacks like this." Mer extended one tentacle to hit the air while keeping the others moving in sync. She kept alert, as if an attack could come from any angle at any time. "You can also attack in all eight directions, but that would leave you vulnerable, and it's extremely hard to pull off." Mer pushed out her arms, and all eight tentacles shot out at high speeds. Beads of sweat began to appear on Mer's forehead as she closed her eyes in concentration, trying to hold the water. She looked eerie, with her arms stretched out into the air, her fingers reaching out, her white hair flowing in the breeze, surrounded by water. Then, all in one single crash, Mer pulled the water back in and pushed it down back into the river, leaving almost no trace.

"WOO! GO MER!" Elena cheered as Mer beamed and bowed. Sorella applauded, while Sao just stood there, astonished beyond comprehension.

His girlfriend was pretty awesome. "Me next!" Sao jumped into the river beside Mer and tried to copy her stance.

"Why don't you all stand next to each other in the river and I'll watch over you." Mer suggested. She hopped out of the water, looked down at Sao, and laughed. "Sao, you're doing it completely wrong! You have to protect your core, and your stance can't be too wide or the water won't be able to loop correctly." Mer gently nudged Sao's legs into the right position before grabbing his wrists and pulling them closer to his torso. Sao looked down as she did this, and when she looked up, he kissed her lightly. She backed away, surprised, and fell into the water.

"Mer! I'm sorry!" Sao laughed as he helped her back up. Her white hair had turned into a dripping gray color, and it covered her eyes as she slouched over, utterly embarrassed and defeated. Elena, who had also hopped into the river, fixed Mer's hair before helping her back out of the water, then returned to her position at Sao's side. Maria then sidled over and blasted air at Mer, drying her. Sorella then patted Mer's head and jumped into the water on Sao's other side.

"Get into position!" Mer commanded weakly. Her pale face was red. Elena, as usual, got into the perfect stance. Sao remembered Mer's advice and readied himself. He looked over at Sorella, who was also in the right position. "Good." Mer nodded. "Now loop the water around your knees, and keep doing that until I say so."

The three in the river pulled the water from around their ankles and let it slowly loop around their knees. Sao tried to look over at Elena, but just at that moment Mer said, "Stay focused. If you lose your concentration during any part of this, you will fail." Sao hurried to look back down at his loop of water. Mer jumped into the river and began correcting Elena.

"Make your loop smaller, if it gets out of your control it won't be pretty. That's good. Now, raise your loop up, and make it wider. Great! Hold it there." Mer sloshed over to Sao, who suddenly got nervous.

"Hold your loop steady, Sao." Sao took a deep breath and calmed his heart. "Great. Now make it a little higher..." Sao raised his arms slightly and the loop came up to a section slightly above mid thigh. "Get it wider, and raise it up to your waist." Sao nodded and obeyed. "Good." Mer left, and went to attend to Sorella before hopping out of the river.

"Lovely!" Maria called out in encouragement. She probably had no idea what they were doing.

"Now, don't do anything. I'm just going to explain what you should try to accomplish next. You lower the loop back down quickly, making it connect with the water at your feet, then use the momentum to lash out the water. Don't try to separate the water into eight strands this time, just have it as one whole circle extending out around you."

"How high should it be?" Elena asked.

"About up to your head." Mer replied. "Now, on the count of three, you're going to do what I just said. One... Two..." Sao shifted his knees in preparation. "Three!" Sao pushed the loop down into the water, then pulled it out. Before the water could even reach his torso, he was blasted into Sorella and down by a spout of water.

"What in the world..." Sao muttered as he scrambled back onto his feet. Elena stood there, mouth gaping, her arms still stretched out uselessly. Mer was laughing uncontrollably, rolling on the floor wet, while Maria just sat there dripping and angry, sitting on the floor. Momo, who had unfortunately flew over from Theo's back right at that moment, was also drenched.

"Great job, Elena." Momo muttered sarcastically as she tried to dry her wings.

"What happened?" Sorella asked. Her brown hair looked black, and her water tribe coat was soaked.

"I lost control." Elena growled. Her anger and disappointment in herself drove her to try it again. She got into the perfect stance, but this time she was trembling with power and fury. She raised a loop from the water, then in an instant she shot it down and lashed it out into eight waving strands of water. She was trembling from the effort. Mer, who did not waste a second congratulating or praising Elena, shot four ice shards towards Elena. Elena's face contorted into a snarl as she slapped them away with one of her tentacles. Elena let the water tentacles splash back down as she crawled out of the water, exhausted.

"Right... How about Elena gets some rest while you and I practice, Sorella?" Sao suggested lightly. Mer agreed silently with a nod and walked over to the river.

"Yeah, okay." Sorella shuffled into position. Sao shot one last look at Elena before returning to focus on his own stance. She was still lying on the floor.


	10. The Mock Battle

Elena rolled onto her back, disappointed that she had lost her temper. She was also worried about the fight. She was used to evading attacks, not returning them. What if she failed? What if she lost? They wouldn't get to go to the pro-bending tournament, and it would all be her fault. She sighed and ran over every move she had learned in the three days that she had trained. She had to play dirty if she was going to get her friends to Republic City.

"Hey, are you okay?" Momo crawled over and laid down beside Elena.

"Yeah, I'm just worried about this mock fight thing between me and Mer." Elena sighed.

"Don't worry, even if you lose I'm sure they wouldn't pass up on an opportunity to see the championships!" Maria said as she laid down on Elena's other side.

"But you still better kick Mer's butt!" Momo joked.

"Hey! What's this I hear of kicking my butt?" Mer shouted indignantly from the river as she threw blunt shards of ice at both Sao and Sorella, who were using the Octopus move.

"Oh, nothing!" Maria called out innocently.

"Okay, stop!" Sao called out. Everyone dropped their water back into the river.

"What's up, Sao?" Sorella asked.

"It's time!" Momo announced dramatically as she pointed one slender finger to the sky. Elena looked up and saw... nothing!

"What are you pointing at?" Maria asked as she looked up at the sky.

Sao was the only one who understood, so he began to explain, "She's pointing at the sun, sillies. She means that it's afternoon, and it's time for the -"

"THE MOCK BATTLE!" Mer exclaimed.

"Oh no." Elena sighed as she glanced at the sun's position in the sky.

"Right! So the rules of this mock waterbending match between Tribal Princess Mer Saibot and Avatar Elena Li are as follows: Only waterbending is allowed. The fight must stay within the outer banks of the river that surrounds this clearing. The winner must pin down the opponent for seven seconds. Breaking the rules will occur in disqualification." Sao declared in a deep voice, sounding like a true announcer.

"Come at me, Elena!" Mer laughed. She prepared herself into a balanced stance, hands out and ready. Elena just stood there normally. She had a plan.

Maria, Momo, Sao, and Sorella backed away to the edge of the clearing. "Let the fight... BEGIN!"

Elena immediately pulled the ice underneath her up, until she was out of Mer's reach. Elena stood, balancing on top of the ice tower. Mer came up and kicked sections of the ice out from under Elena. At the last second, Elena backflipped over Mer's head, landed squarely, and shot a blast of water towards Mer, throwing her back into the tower. She froze the water, holding a stunned Mer against the tower. In the distance, Sao began counting. After two seconds, Mer had already melted the ice around her and launched herself out on top of a wave of water that flew towards Elena. Thinking quickly, she simply froze the wave and Mer flew off of the top and over Elena's head. Mer summoned more water to break her fall.

Elena tried to use a water whip to knock Mer off her feet before she gained her balance, but Mer was anticipating it and she punched the water out of the air. Mer summoned water from the river behind her and froze Elena's feet to the floor. The ice started crawling up Elena's legs. Before it could get any further, Elena pulled water from the puddle around her feet and froze Mer's hands. She quickly melted the ice around her legs and pushed a wave into the still struggling Mer and knocked her into a river. Too late, Elena realized this was the wrong choice to make. Mer stayed underwater, hiding from Elena. She didn't need to surface for air.

"Come on, Sao! That's totally cheating!" Elena wailed as she spun around in circles, looking for Mer. "She can breathe underwater!"

"Well..." Sao paused for a second, thinking, and just at that moment Mer decided to propel herself out of the river from right behind Sao. She slammed into Elena's back and pushed her into the icy ground, then took the water off her wet clothes and bound Elena's hands to the floor. Sao began counting. Elena squirmed around, refusing to lose, but the ice wasn't budging and her hands were useless. Thinking back to a lesson on the first day of training, Elena surreptitiously turned her head and breathed on the ice, thinking of it melting. Her hand was soon freed. She pulled water from the river using one hand and slammed Mer back into the ice and pinned her there.

"Six..." Sao muttered. Elena broke free of her bonds as Sao sighed and started counting all over again for Mer. "One... Two..."

Elena jogged over to Mer. She wasn't going to take any chances. She pulled water from the river and kept on icing over the ice, making sure it was intact. But Mer pushed off the ice with her feet and slid out from under the heavy load of ice, leaving her jacket behind. Underneath, she was just wearing a thin baggy blue shirt.

Both panting from the effort of the fight, they began to circle each other cautiously, seeking out any weak points. Elena carefully estimated the path of Mer and, barely moving her hand, made a little block of ice appear at Mer's feet, tripping her. With Mer unbalanced, Elena seized the opening and launched a volley of ice attacks at her. While Mer was busy blocking them, Elena ran to the side of the clearing and punched the ground, forcing the ice forward and upward, throwing Mer into the air. She landed neatly and started running after Elena, throwing ice shards and water balls at her. Elena ran away, dodging side to side. A water ball whizzed toward Elena, and she guided it around her and shot it back towards Mer. It missed. One particularly large and blunt ice shard caught Elena in the waist and threw her sideways into the air. Elena wailed as one of her ribs flared in pain. She pulled up a diagonal sheet of ice that curved around in a circle and skated along it until she skidded back down onto the floor. Mer pulled several ice shards out of the ground and threw them in Elena's direction. She pulled a wall up out of the ground to block them, but her broken rib hindered her and the wall only came up halfway. Elena screamed and ducked down as four ice shards whizzed over her head. She laid on the floor, half feeling like she should give up. She could feel Mer's heavy footsteps resounding through the ice, uneven. Mer was limping. Suddenly, Elena knew exactly what she could do, as one last try at success.

Elena closed her eyes as time slowed down. Each second lasted a minute, and Elena sent her senses into the ice. She could see exactly where Mer was, and where she was about to step next. Just as Mer's foot was about to touch down on the floor, Elena shot ice out of the ground and it made contact with Mer's foot, shoving her leg into the air. Mer screamed out as her knee hit her face and threw her backwards into the air.

"Oh, God, you broke my nose!" Mer cried out as she clutched her face. Elena ran over to Mer, worried. She completely forgot about the mock fight.

"Are you okay?" Elena cried out as she reached Mer's body. Mer moaned quietly as she rolled over onto her side, covering her face with both of her hands. "Mer?" Elena kneeled down, feeling horribly guilty. Elena reached out one shaky hand to try and comfort her waterbending teacher just as Mer's hand whipped out, leaving her perfectly fine nose uncovered. Elena, outraged that she had been tricked, turned around too late to face a wall of water that pushed her down and froze over. It was a very thick layer of ice, and it covered Elena's whole body with just a small pocket of air above her face, enough to last for ten seconds. Through the thick layer of ice, she could hear Sao's muffled voice as he began counting to six. Elena tried squirming around, but ice surrounded her.

"Fine! Be that way, you little cheater!" Elena shouted through the ice, aiming her insults toward Mer. Elena laid down, relaxed, admitting defeat.

"Six!" Sao shouted. "Mer wins the battle!" A crack began ripping through the ice and Elena got up, stepping out of her ice cocoon, slightly disappointed that she had lost.

"Hey, if I was the ref, I'd totally count that as cheating." Maria reassured her. "And that was awesome waterbending!"

"Yeah, besides, you know Sao! He loves Mer, he's obviously going to favor her." Momo smiled brightly. "Want some lychee nuts?"

Elena laughed, feeling better now that her friends supported her.

"But what about the tournament?" Elena asked, nervous. She didn't want to sabotage their chances at seeing modern fighting styles, as well as meeting other benders that could potentially be Elena's future teachers.

"What, did you really think we wouldn't let you go just because you lost a fight against a master?" Sorella teased. "You were great. I think you're ready to learn something special from me, tonight. Meet me at the shore next to the big rock where we practiced the travelling waves move." Elena nodded, slightly excited to learn about this new secret technique or move or whatever from Sorella. She thought back to the tall rock that had been randomly placed next to the shore. Elena's objective had been to carry herself on top of a wave high enough to get over it. Mer had called it the travelling waves move.

"Wait, so we get to go to Republic City and see the pro-bending championships?" Maria gasped in excitement.

"Of course, silly!" Mer smiled as she walked over to the group. "Sao didn't buy these premium seat tickets for nothing! We can start packing later, but it's still afternoon." Sao came over and flashed a fan of golden tickets with the words "PREMIUM PRO-BENDING SEATS" in big bold letters.

"Awesome!" Momo cheered. Elena was excited, but she was also puzzled. The fight between her and Mer had seemed like it lasted for days, but it had, in reality, lasted only five minutes.

"I can't wait." Elena agreed wearily. The fighting had worn her out.

"Come on, Elena, you must be tired, because I know I am! You put up quite a fight there, I almost thought you would've won!" Mer skipped over and threw her arm over Elena's shoulder. Elena buckled under Mer's weight and cried out as her broken rib flared out in pain once again.

"Oh no, your rib is broken! Let me heal it." Sorella knelt beside Elena and bended water around Elena's side. The water glowed a bright blue, and Elena felt the pain go away. "I can't really perfectly heal broken bones, so take it easy for a few days." Sorella suggested as Mer wrapped some cloth around Elena's waist.

"Sorry." Mer said awkwardly.

"Don't worry, it'll heal." Elena smiled.

"Great! So tell me, how exactly did you know where my foot was going to be even though you couldn't see me?" Elena sighed, and gingerly laid down on the ice and demonstrated. Mer eagerly copied her, eyes bright.

"You have to close your eyes and reach into the ice. You can feel the vibrations, and if you convert those vibrations into images, you'll be able to see a lot. This was actually first developed by the legendary Toph Beifong, who invented metalbending! She was blind, you see, and she sensed the vibrations through the earth and -" Elena was interrupted by a snore. Mer had fallen asleep during her history lesson.

"Wow, you must have tired her out more than I had expected." Sao commented quietly with a smirk. "That was beautiful waterbending, I have a feeling that you're already a true master!" Elena frowned at this. She had only been training for less than a week, how could she possibly become a master in such a short time?

"Oh I know what you're thinking," Maria nodded as she came up between the two. "But you're a natural at learning how to bend the other elements."

Elena shrugged, still unconvinced. "Even if I am a 'master,' I still have a lot to learn."

"That's a great attitude!" Mer jumped up groggily. Her sleepy eyes widened as she got a new look on the clearing. "Whoa! Elena, we totally screwed up this clearing!"

Elena turned around. There were mounds of ice everywhere. There were blocks of ice floating in the river. Holes and small bumps littered the ground.

"My dad's going to kill us!" Sorella wailed. "We need to fix this clearing now!" The four waterbenders (Mer, Sorella, Sao, and Elena) rushed off into the clearing and started to fix the ice floor back into one smooth platform.

"So... How goes that lychee nut?" Maria asked awkwardly as she and Momo stood there at the bank of the river, feeling useless.

"Stop being awkward, Maria. We can still airbend the ice out of the water and stuff." Momo chastised Maria before flying away, stowing her bag of nuts into her shirt. She pushed a ball of air around a block of ice and pulled it out of the water before dumping it onto the ground. Maria sighed, feeling lazy, but she shuffled over to the river and airbended several blocks out of the water at the same time. Before long, the clearing was back to normal.

"Now, we all deserve a rest. Let's go in and start packing." Mer suggested as the sun began to sink back into the ground. "We'll have to get up at dawn tomorrow if we're going to make it to the pro-bending tournament on time!" With a hearty farewell, Sao headed back towards his village while the girls went into the Chieftain's palace.

"We'll pack for you. You need some rest after that awesome fight. And Sorella's lesson tonight." Maria and Momo patted Elena on the back and headed into her room to gather her things. Elena flopped onto her bed, exhausted from the waterbending fight and cleanup afterwards. The calming noises of the hustle and bustle around her as Maria and Momo packed lulled Elena into a deep, calm, and dreamless sleep.

After what seemed like minutes, Elena was woken up by Sorella. The full moon was shining through the window. It was just starting its path down the sky. The room around Elena was clean and looked like new. Maria and Momo had packed up everything.

"Come on, we'll only have a few hours to do this." Sorella pulled Elena up, and threw a coat over her before pulling her out into the clearing. They went down a rocky path and down to the shining ocean.

"Sorry I didn't meet up with you." Elena apologized drowsily as they stopped at the tall rock on the shore of the ocean.

"It's okay, I didn't expect you to wake up after that spectacular fight." Sorella smiled kindly. "I hope you won't think that this lesson under the moonlight is a waste of your time."

"I'm sure anything this important that requires the strength of the full moon will be amazing." Elena reassured.

"Hair up!" Sorella commanded.

"Yes, Sifu Sorella!" Elena joked around as she tied up her hair away from her face. The moonlight shone on her face, making her eyes seem like a pure silvery color. Elena could feel the power pulsing from the moonbeams, filling her waterbending with energy. She took a deep breath and felt much more awake and alive.

"First thing is, that even when you're not around a water source, there is water all around you. All living things have water inside them." Sorella stepped over to a stalk of grass. "Water is necessary to life. This grass would not live without water. It has water inside it. But if you draw the water out..." Sorella pulled water out of the grass until she had a few sparkling droplets. "You have water when there used to be none. But see the death and destruction this leaves behind." Sorella pointed back to the grass, which was now brown, wilted, dead. She bended the water back into the stalk of grass, making it green and alive once more.

"So this leaves death behind?" Elena asked, confused. Why would Sorella want her to learn such a thing?

"Don't hate me for teaching you this. I want you to know it, so that if you must use it, you will be able to. Waterbenders feel disadvantaged in places without a source of water, like a lake or a river, but I am here to show you that there is water everywhere. If you are skilled enough, you can take a little water from each stalk of grass. Then none of it would die." Sorella jogged over to a patch of grass and pulled a small ball of water from the whole patch. The grass only wilted slightly, still alive, and yet Sorella had enough water to work with. "You see? This doesn't always leave death behind. Why don't you come and try?" Sorella pushed the water back into the stalks of grass and stepped away for Elena to go over and try. But Elena did not move.

"I think maybe I should try with one stalk of grass first?" Elena smiled. She did not feel that she was ready for a whole patch of grass.

"Sure!" Sorella gestured toward the lone stalk of grass in front of Elena. Elena nodded, glad that Sorella was so understanding and not pushing. She bent down and focused on the grass of stalk. She could feel the water pulsing within its veins, and she pulled it out. But she went too far, and when she opened her eyes, the grass was dead.

"Oh no! I went too far." Elena looked down at her feet, disappointed. Sorella smiled sympathetically and walked over beside her.

"You can bend the water back into the grass. Just look into the veins of the stalk and push the water into the veins." Elena nodded and accomplished it, filling the grass with life once more. She practiced a few times, and then began to take out only a partial bit of water from the grass, leaving the grass alive and her with water.

"That's great! Do you feel like you're ready for a whole patch of grass now?" Sorella asked encouragingly. Elena nodded and walked over to the middle of the patch of grass that Sorella had used. "Remember that you must feel the water within all these little stalks of grass."

Elena closed her eyes and looked into the veins of the whole patch of grass, and pulled out water from each blade.

"Great!" Sorella applauded as Elena fiddled about with the small ball of water. Elena smiled, glad that she didn't kill the grass, and returned the water back into its place.

"Now, onto the next topic."

"Can I keep practicing as you talk?" Elena asked.

"Of course! You know how metalbending is like a subcategory of earthbending?" Elena nodded as she pulled water out of the patch of grass. "What I'm about to tell you is a subcategory of waterbending. Remember what I said earlier about water being everywhere?"

"In all living things?"

Sorella nodded. "It's also in animals, and humans as well. The water is in their veins, just like the blade of grass."

"Bloodbending." Elena whispered. She thought back to her history lessons back at the Northern Air Temple, glad that she had paid attention. Bloodbenders had not shown up for nearly a century. "Are you a bloodbender?"

"Yes, I am. But you must believe me! I don't want to harm people! I know how evil it is, and I have sworn to myself that I will only use it when my life or my friends' lives are in danger."

"You don't need to prove yourself to me, Sorella. I trust you."

"Great, because this will be sort of a trust exercise." Sorella sighed with relief. "I want you to look into my veins, just like with the grass." Elena reluctantly did as Sorella commanded. "Can you see the water?"

"Yes, I can." Elena nodded.

"Now, you can control that water within my blood, or you can simply take it out and kill me." Sorella shuddered slightly, and Elena winced. "Bloodbending is very dangerous, but I know you're ready. Elena. I want you to not do something crazy, but just bloodbend me. Move my arm or something."

"What?!" Elena cried out. "Are you crazy?"

"No. I trust you. I need you to see what bloodbending is like. You're the Avatar, you will be keeping the peace within the world. You may need this skill later on." Sorella looked into Elena's eyes. They stayed like that, staring at each other, a battle of wills. Finally, Elena gave in.

"Alright. I'm going to move your right arm up, and that's it!"

"That's all I'm asking you to do." Sorella closed her eyes. Elena shuddered, and waterbended Sorella's blood. Sorella shouted out in pain as her arm lifted up against her will, and Elena dropped it and let go of control of Sorella's blood.

"Are you okay?!" Elena ran to Sorella and hugged her tightly.

"I'm fine. It's going to be alright." Sorella patted Elena's dark hair awkwardly.

"I'm so sorry!" Elena cried out.

"Don't be sorry. I'm the one who told you to bloodbend me." Sorella smiled.

"Hey, what are you two doing down there? It's almost dawn, we're leaving soon!" Mer called out from the top of the hill.

"Don't worry about it, Elena. Come on, let's go pro-bending!"


	11. The Poo-Bending Championships

"I officially hate chi blocking." Mavi groaned as she flopped down in their campsite. Blaize and Mavi had spent the whole morning getting beat up by airbenders, and their bodies were bruised in the same places.

"I think I won't be able to firebend for days!" Blaize complained as he rolled around in the snow to soothe his wounds.

"Sorry, but at least those airbenders know how to chi block!" Katelynn said in a cheerful voice. Her hair was a bright orange again, and she stood at the top of the hill with her hands behind her back.

"Easy enough for you to say!" Mavi muttered from her fetal position on the floor.

"Hey, I do know what it's like! How do you think I learned how to chi block in the first place?" Katelynn retorted.

"You practiced on us." Blaize glared at Katelynn with a hint of a smile in his eyes.

"Right... Well if you're gonna be ungrateful..." Katelynn smirked.

"We are ungrateful! We're half dead here on the floor!" Blaize growled. He crawled over to Mavi and gently placed snow onto her bruises. Mavi sighed in relief as the pain was numbed away for a bit.

"Well, fine, I can see I'm not appreciated here." Katelynn turned around and walked away very, very slowly with her hands still behind her back. Mavi looked up at her figure and saw something gold glint in Katelynn's hands. Her memories flashed back to her childhood, when her parents had presented the same gold papers to Mavi. It was for premium seats in the pro-bending championships.

"Wait! Are those pro-bending championships premium seat tickets?" Blaize blurted out when he followed Mavi's gaze. Blaize knew how much Mavi loved watching pro-bending tournaments. Ever since she had been a small girl, she had been to every game in the Republic City Pro-Bending Arena. Her fighting style was similar to those used by the Ember Island Mongoose Dragons.

"Oh yeah, well, you know, I just thought since the championships are this weekend, I just bought three tickets..." Katelynn waved them in Mavi's face. "I know how much you love them, and I just thought it would be like old times... But if you're ungrateful I'll just leave!" Katelynn began to walk away, cheerfully bouncing up the hill.

"No wait! Please! I'll pack in three minutes and we can go!" Mavi scrambled around the smoking campfire and shoved everything into the bags and latched them onto Lux and Dune. The injuries from the chi blocking session were ignored as excitement built up in Mavi.

"That's more like it!" Katelynn jumped down with grace and skill and landed right next to Blaize. Within a few more seconds, the campsite was cleaned up and Mavi was on Lux's back, bouncing up and down, ready to go.

"Hurry up! We might get there early and get the best seats in the premium box!" Blaize smiled and obeyed, hopping onto Dune's back. Katelynn hopped on right behind Blaize before sweeping one more look around the campsite.

"Hey, what's that?" Katelynn pointed to something gold in the ice. "Is that a ticket that I dropped?"

"Oh my god, Lux, I forgot about your egg, I'm so sorry!" Mavi jumped down and pulled the egg out of the ice. It was still warm to the touch, despite it having been in the ice for quite some time. Katelynn's eyebrows skyrocketed as she watched.

"We better just get it fertilized and move on." Blaize suggested. "It'll hatch about two days after the pro-bending tournament." Mavi nodded, agreeing. She kicked the snow away, leaving the brown bare soil, and placed the egg there.

"So Lux laid an egg, hmm? And you're about to fertilize it, I presume? Well you better hurry." Katelynn sat down in the snow, prepared to watch whatever was going to happen next.

"Firebenders only," Mavi teased. She pulled "The Life of a Fire Bird" out of her bag and opened it.

"What page was the fertilizing on?" Mavi asked as she flipped through the crinkly pages of the book. After its fall into the water, it had become slightly smudged, wrinkled, and looked quite old, even though it was still a fairly new book.

"I think it was on page three hundred ninety-four." Blaize recalled. Mavi flipped to that page and read out the instructions.

"The golden egg is always unfertilized, and to fertilize it, it must be engulfed in blue flames for twelve seconds, and then engulfed in orange flames for another twelve, then doused with water. Right, so, me first, and then Blaize, and then Katelynn can prepare the water and throw it over the egg!" Katelynn pulled out her waterskin, ready to do her part.

"I'm ready!" Blaize held his hands out near the egg, prepared to firebend an orange flame to engulf the egg.

Mavi solemnly nodded, then conjured her signature blue flames that consumed the egg.

"One... Two... Three... Four... Five... Six... Seven..." Mavi kept counting evenly out loud. When she shouted out twelve, Blaize immediately conjured his orange flames at the base of the egg and it took the place of the blue. The snow around the egg had melted away, leaving the uncovered earth in a perfect circle. This time, Blaize counted out loud. Katelynn stood above the fiery egg with her open waterskin. When Blaize said, "Twelve," Katelynn poured the water over the egg. Steam rose from the hot surface as the fire was put out.

"Did it work?" Katelynn asked as she waved the steam away.

"I don't know, all this steam, why is there so much steam?" Blaize coughed. After five more seconds, the steam cleared away. Mavi looked at the egg.

It was still golden.

"Well? What are you all staring at? Did it work?" Katelynn asked impatiently. Mavi felt a scream of frustration, guilt, anger, and many other uncomfortable emotions rip through her soul, but she kept it in. She checked back in the book, just to make sure. Blaize looked at her with hopeful eyes, wishing that what they thought wasn't true.

Mavi read out an excerpt the passage in a shaky voice, "If done incorrectly, the baby phoenix within the egg will die. If completed correctly, the egg will then have a fiery pattern on it instead of just being a solid gold color."

"So... the baby's dead?" Katelynn asked in a hushed voice. Lux and Dune began to wail out in agony, filling the clearing with their songs of depression.

"Wait!" Mavi screamed. The clearing was suddenly dead silent. The egg was beginning to change color. "The phoenix is still alive!" Mavi jumped up and cheered, holding the warm egg in her hands. A beautiful flame design appeared on the egg, flickering in the dim light, almost like a real orange flame. Blaize ran towards Mavi and kissed her, making her drop the egg back into the snow.

"Look, Dune, your very own baby!" Blaize hugged Dune's thick neck as the huge dragon's throat rumbled in pleasure, almost like a cat's purr.

"Great! Let's celebrate by going to the freaking pro-bending championships!" Katelynn jumped on Dune's back impatiently. Blaize quickly followed, jumping in front of Katelynn and grabbing on to Dune's reins.

Mavi picked up the egg and wrapped it in a fur-lined coat before placing it in her bag. She then shoved the book in there and walked over to Lux.

"Here's your baby, Lux! Now let's go to Republic City!" Mavi attached the bag right in the front of the saddle securely and jumped on. Lux crowed happily before opening her wings to the wind and jumping off the Northern Air Temple island and flapping into the east toward the Earth Kingdom with Dune following close behind.

The trio and their two animal companions had travelled speedily, reaching Republic City a full six hours before the pro-bending championships would begin. Over the course of the flight, Lux's egg had grown steadily hotter, making Mavi's inner thighs extremely uncomfortable. Soon, they had to take turns carrying the egg as to not overheat themselves.

They landed in the middle of clearing in a dense forest at the edge of Republic City. Mavi had dumped the contents of her bag out, and let the egg roll onto the grass. They made a quick, crude campsite, stowing their possessions up in the tops of discreetly marked out trees. Lux began to make a nest under a large bush out of some sort of specialized twigs and whatnot to safely protect her egg. Dune had simply curled up in a scaly ball and fallen asleep.

Republic City was much warmer, since it was closer to the equator. Green leaves filled the trees. Birdsong filled the air. There was no snow. It felt like spring. Since Blaize and Mavi had only packed clothes in preparation for the Northern Water Tribe, Katelynn lended a thin shirt and a flowing skirt to Mavi. Blaize simply tore a few layers off of his shirt, making it look very crude.

"You look lovely." Katelynn muttered sarcastically. She walked off into the trees as Blaize pulled off his pants.

"OH GOD, BLAIZE, WHY DIDN'T YOU WARN ME?" Mavi pretended to faint, closing her eyes shut while blushing furiously. After a few minutes, Mavi opened her eyes and peeked out. Blaize was still standing there, holding his pants.

"Can you rip some layers off of my pants?" Blaize asked awkwardly. "I didn't want Katelynn to do it so... And you know, my shirt looks horrible..." Mavi rolled her eyes, still really embarrassed, and accepted Blaize's pants and a knife. She turned around to face the trees and ripped a few layers of fabric off of the pants with a little more expertise than Blaize had with his shirt before throwing the pants back at him. He pulled them on, and Mavi turned around

"You look like a hobo!" Mavi laughed when she saw Blaize's clothes.

"But you still love me." Blaize took a few steps over and kissed Mavi.

"But we're still going to need to buy you new clothes in Republic City." Mavi rubbed noses with Blaize.

"Are you guys done yet?" Katelynn complained from the trees. She walked back into the clearing. "Good. We need to go now, if you're planning on spending time shopping and stuff." Katelynn grabbed her compass and led the way out of the clearing. Blaize waited as Mavi hurried and grabbed two pouches of money and shoved them into the pockets of the flowing skirt.

"You look very beautiful in those clothes." Blaize smiled as he wrapped his arm around Mavi's shoulders, pulling her in close as they walked into the trees, following Katelynn.

"Are you saying I don't look beautiful in other clothes?" Mavi asked in a mocking tone.

"No! You're beautiful in general, I just... I just..." Blaize stammered as he tried to cover up for his mistake.

"I'm kidding, Blaize! Calm down!" Mavi laughed. Her eyes twinkled and her hair shone. She truly did look beautiful.

"Look, I know Mavi's beautiful and all, but we're almost out of this forest, so can you guys hurry up?" Katelynn appeared from the shadows of the thick tree trunks, complaining, before returning to the shadows. Mavi laughed and skipped forward, grabbing Blaize's hand as he let go of her shoulders and pulled him forward. Before long, the trees thinned out and sunlight filtered in, letting more undergrowth grow. Mavi danced around in the dappled sunlight, looking perfect.

The tree line suddenly cut off, and the trio appeared in a nice little park, full of people and their poodle monkeys.

"Quick! Act like we didn't just appear from the trees!" Katelynn ran over to the sidewalk and began walking normally, whistling and trying to blend in. Mavi and Blaize just sighed and walked together towards the exit of the park. Under the sun, Mavi looked even more goddess-like and carefree. Blaize wanted to make a move on her, so he slid his arm around her waist, quite close to her hips. Mavi jerked away and clutched her side, laughing.

"You're ticklish?" Blaize gasped with an evil grin.

"No, Blaize, please! Spare me!" Mavi ran away towards the exit, screaming with laughter. Here, in Republic City, Mavi was free. Free of her responsibilities of being the Princess of the Fire Nation. She could do whatever she wanted and date whoever she wished. And the first thing Mavi wanted to do was act as weird and childish as possible. She ran out the gateway of the park and ran down the streets full of people who didn't care about two people running around. Just as she was about to reach the corner, Blaize tackled Mavi and tickled her until Mavi begged for mercy with tears in her eyes.

"I am the winner!" Blaize roared victoriously. To be honest, he had never won a fight against Mavi before, until this day.

"This doesn't even count as a fight!" Mavi laughed as she jumped up.

"Please, you're attracting attention to yourself, loser." Katelynn muttered as she neared the couple.

"Who are you calling a loser?" Mavi asked indignantly.

"Both of you! Come on, doesn't Blaize need clothes or something?" Katelynn walked off in a huff towards a vendor at the side of the street. Blaize and Mavi followed, lightly pushing and nudging each other.

"Yes, this map is nice. Can I buy this map of Republic City?" Katelynn held out a scroll with a simple map of the city.

"That'll be two yuan." The vendor said in a boring and monotone voice.

"Do you accept Fire Nation money?" Mavi asked hesitantly. She pulled out a few silver pentagonal pieces from her bag.

"Yes, two yuan is equivalent to six silver pieces."

"SIX?" Mavi exclaimed incredulously.

"Two yuan is equivalent to one silver piece and two copper pieces!" Katelynn growled. Mavi grabbed two copper pieces and slammed it on the table along with one of her silver pieces, angry that people would dare try to cheat her out of her money.

"Remember, you're not a princess anymore, people are bound to disrespect you," Blaize whispered into Mavi's ear. Mavi nodded and tried to calm down. Katelynn nodded coldly to the vendor before walking away with the map. Behind them, the vendor grumbled unpleasantly and hid away the three Fire Nation coins.

"So the main marketplace is here, near the port, pretty close to the Pro-Bending Arena, which is over here..." Katelynn pointed to a dot on the map, labelled "Pro-Bending Arena." Mavi and Blaize leaned over and peered at the map.

"That's not too far. We're next to the park, right? We're on... Tapa Street." Mavi pointed to a line on the map labelled "Tapa Street." It was only half a league away from the main marketplace.

"But wait, there's also another Tapa Street over there!" Blaize pointed to the other side of the map, far away from the port.

"Well... This street has a Savir Park beside it. And on the map, Savir Park is beside this street." Mavi pointed to the street that was nearest to the pro-bending tournament.

"Whatever you say, Mavi. Girls are always right." Blaize nodded and started walking down the street. "To the marketplace to get me more clothes!"

The trio walked at a brisk pace for about four hours, occasionally stopping to inspect whatever caught their interest. They got lost a few times, and had to retrace their steps. The streets were full of commotion, much like a normal city. Some acts took place along the sidewalks. Mavi tossed coins into the cups. In one acrobatic act, a tall man had introduced himself formally. "Welcome to the best acrobatic act in all of the Earth Kingdom! I am Remdune, your host! Can I please have a volunteer?" None of the people from the crowd looked remotely excited or eager to join in.

"How about you, lovely lady?" Remdune held out his hand to Katelynn. She looked at it doubtfully. Mavi and Blaize looked at each other with knowing eyes. Katelynn was not doubtful that she would fail. She was doubtful that she might upstage the other acrobat. Remdune took her doubt as fear. "Don't worry! It's quite simple."

Katelynn smiled and took Remdune's hand. "I'll try to go easy on you." Remdune grinned slyly, taking it as a joke.

At the end of the act, people were throwing money at Katelynn, cheering, while Remdune laid on the floor, stunned. Mavi and Blaize rushed in and helped Katelynn shovel up the money. Mavi then dropped a few Fire Nation coins into Remdune's cup with an apologetic smile.

"So I knew he was going to go to the left as soon as he assumed his stance." Katelynn laughed as she recounted her experience, even though Mavi and Blaize had been there to witness it for themselves.

"At least we have some Republic City money now." Blaize agreed as he pulled out a yuan bill and examined it. "Whose head is on this?"

"Are you serious, Blaize?" Mavi cried out when she saw what Blaize was looking at. "That's Avatar Aang! He founded Republic City, along with his friends, Fire Lord Zuko, and the legendary Healer Katara! And Toph, she invented metalbending! She was Aang's friend too! How could you not know this?" Blaize backed away slightly.

"Don't forget sword master Sokka!" Katelynn added in. "Say... Avatar Aang was an airbender wasn't he?"

"Yes! He's my idol! He was the last airbender to fight against the Fire Nation when they were lead by Fire Lord Ozai, who was very evil." Mavi smiled brightly. She has always been interested in the history of Avatars.

"Right, so then the Avatars after him...?" Katelynn pondered.

"Avatar Korra, from the Southern Water Tribe, Avatar Kami, from Ba Sing Se, and then Avatar Kuzon, from my hometown!"

"Right, so when did Avatar Kuzon die?"

"Twelve years ago. He died in my home." Mavi answered solemnly.

Blaize finally cut in. "Wait, so the new Avatar is an airbender, and he's twelve years old... so where is he?"

"He's probably learning how to bend the other elements." Mavi replied.

"He might be here in Republic City to learn how to earthbend!" Katelynn speculated. A little blind girl with beautiful brown hair that hung in her face walked up behind them.

"You can learn earthbending here?" The girl asked in a quiet voice. It sounded very melodic.

"Yes, Republic City has one of the best earthbenders around. It's Toph's great-great-granddaughter, Charisse. You know who Toph Beifong is, I presume?"

"She invented metalbending! She was Aang's earthbending teacher! I would be honored to learn from Toph's great-great-granddaughter!" The blind girl jumped and cheered and ran back to her friends. They were a group of girls dressed in fairly new clothing. They must have come from a colder place as well. There were a white-haired girl, which was abnormal. There was also a blonde girl, who had an airbender tattoo. There was also another dark-haired girl next to the blind girl. She looked like the oldest.

"Hello," Mavi called out in greeting.

"Yep, it's taken a bit for us to get here, and Elena keeps getting lost!" The white-haired girl poked fun at the blind girl.

"Well, you can't blame her. She's blind, after all, in a large city!" Blaize smiled sympathetically. Mavi saw rage flash across Elena's face before a smooth, blank calm took over.

"I'm not blind." Elena explained in a cold voice.

"Oh, are you sure?" Blaize asked doubtfully. Katelynn slapped Blaize's arm, but it was too late. Mavi simply rested her eyes in her palm, utterly amazed by how clueless and tactless Blaize was.

"You have red hair and hazel eyes. You have horrible clothes. That girl that just slapped you has orange hair and brown eyes. The other girl has brown hair and blue eyes. The floor is tan. The sky is blue. One of your eyebrows is higher than the other!" Elena growled. Her hands were clenched in tight fists, and it looked like she was ready to fight.

"We apologize for Blaize's insensitivity." Mavi stepped between Blaize (who was trying to look at his eyebrows) and Elena, who, up close, actually had very light blue eyes. "My name's Mavi. And the orange-haired girl is Katelynn."

Elena visibly calmed down and replied in a slightly happier voice. "Well, as you know, my name is Elena. This is Maria, Sorella, and Momo." Elena pointed to each as she named them. They all nodded politely in greeting. "We're all going to the pro-bending tournament!"

"Hey, we are too!" Mavi smiled.

"Two of our friends, Mer and Sao, are already at the premium seats in the arena." Sorella explained. She had very solemn and intelligent eyes, and was the oldest of the group.

"Yeah, we know what they're gonna do!" Maria joked as she flipped her blonde hair back.

"Shut up, Maria! I think they're really cute together." Momo had wide and innocent eyes.

"Yeah, once they get over their awkwardness." Elena smirked.

"Hey, maybe we could give them a few lessons," Blaize nudged Mavi's side with a suggestive smile.

"You're going out with this jerk?" Elena asked indignantly. "You're much too beautiful for him!"

"Sheesh, thanks a lot." Blaize muttered.

"Yeah, and thanks for calling me blind!" Elena retorted hotly.

"Come on, the pro-bending match will start soon!" Momo pulled Elena away. They could see the Pro-Bending Arena. Mavi stopped at a store and bought some men's clothes and threw them at Blaize. He pulled them on over his ragged clothes and then ripped the old ones off and threw them in a nearby trashcan.

"Much better," Mavi smiled as she kissed Blaize's cheek lightly, smoothing down the wrinkles in his shirt and pants. When they returned to the group, they had bought a bunch of food for the pro-bending tournament. They all walked and talked, getting to know each other, becoming friends.

"Hey look, what's up with the 'Pro-Bending Championships' sign on the arena?" Elena pointed up and everyone followed her gaze. A bunch of people were crowding around the sign, but they could still see what it said.

"POO-BENDING CHAMPIONSHIPS?!" Mavi burst out laughing along with everyone else.

"Get your butts working! Do you think this championship is about people bending that stuff in your toilet? Fix it!" A voice shouted from high up in the air. This just made the group laugh even harder.

"I wish we could capture this moment!" Elena laughed wistfully.

"Well you can, just buy one of our amazing cameras for only three yuan! Take a picture of whatever you want and treasure the memory forever!" A vendor had popped up behind the group, holding up a camera.

"Only three yuan? How much memory?" Katelynn asked. She was obviously accustomed to the ways of all four nations. She was very organized and used to the Republic City traditions, including the more modern technological things.

"Thirty-two gigabytes." The vendor answered with pride. Katelynn looked at him skeptically before handing him three yuan. The vendor walked away happily back to his stand.

"Three yuan for a thirty-two gigabyte camera?" Katelynn muttered suspiciously. "Too cheap."

"Who cares, let's take a picture!" Elena used airbending to pick up the camera and they all stood in front of the "Poo-Bending Championships" sign with happy smiles on their face. A flash emitted from the camera.

"It took a picture!" Mavi said happily before running to the floating camera. Everyone crowded around Mavi to see the picture.

"Perfect!" Momo smiled.

"Wait, Elena, you're an airbender?" Katelynn's eyes widened. Elena nodded innocently.

"But you said you wanted to learn earthbending from Charisse!" Blaize gasped.

"Oh my gosh, you're the Avatar, aren't you?!" Mavi squealed excitedly.

"Uh, yes." Elena awkwardly smiled as she suddenly became very shy.

"She's new to the Avatar stuff." Momo explained when Elena clamped her mouth shut, refusing to say anything else on the topic of her being the Avatar.

"She's just learned waterbending from Mer, Sao, and me." Sorella smiled as she added in. "So now she knows airbending and waterbending."

Mavi began jumping up and down around Elena, who was very surprised at the attention she was getting. "Wow, I can't believe I just met the Avatar, and her friends! I can't believe I'm actually going to sit by her in the pro-bending tournament! Tell me, how amazing is it to already be able to bend two elements?!" Mavi's voice was high-pitched with excitement and she was simply giddy.

"She's crazy about Avatars and their history." Katelynn laughed as she saw Elena's stricken expression. "And pro-bending."

"I can't believe destiny has brought me here to the Pro-Bending Championships to meet the Avatar!" Mavi gasped to her boyfriend. He was just standing there, looking resentful and slightly envious.

"I honestly don't see so much in her." Blaize admitted as they neared the ticket box.

"Come on, you just don't like her because she got mad at you for thinking she was blind! She's obviously not blind! You also doubted her when she told you she wasn't blind. You're the one at fault, you should apologize." Mavi muttered to Blaize. She noticed that Elena was watching them closely.

"No, I won't apologize!" Blaize retorted hotly. He was obviously too egotistic and proud to just step down and apologize to the Avatar. He was also probably jealous of how much attention Mavi was giving to Elena over him.

"Okay, okay." Mavi looked at Blaize with hurt eyes before walking back to Elena's side. She snuck a glance back at him, and he looked quite forlorn. Mavi took a deep breath and turned away. She would stay angry at him until he apologized to both her and Elena.

"You know, I really think you shouldn't -" Elena began to speak but she was interrupted by a young lady who had popped up in front of the group, with bright and overenthusiastic eyes.

"Hello, my name is Grace, would you like some cabbages? They're very cheap!" The lady had bright green hair tied up in a bushy ponytail that matched her prized cabbages. Her eyes, however, were a dark gray color. Her skin was tan, and she was slightly underweight.

"Um, no thanks, we don't need any." Katelynn politely nodded before starting to walk away. However, Grace ran over in front of Katelynn, intercepting her.

"But I insist, these cabbages are magnificent, and you don't know when you might need cabbages!" Grace persisted as she held up two cabbages to Katelynn's red face. Her hair was turning black. Mavi looked over to Elena and her friends, who were very surprised that Katelynn could change her hair color.

"We don't need cabbages." Katelynn said firmly.

"But -" Grace began to protest, but a worker who was trying to fix the "Poo-Bending Championships" sign fell from his ladder and right into her stash of cabbages.

"NOO! MY CABBAGES!" Grace wailed. Tears streamed down her face as she ran back to her broken stand. "I HATE REPUBLIC CITY!"

Everyone around the arena laughed a bit before going on. Katelynn led the group to the ticket machine, walking quickly before any other vendor could intercept her. Her hair was slowly changing back to orange.

"Her hair matches her mood." Mavi explained proudly to Elena, who had walked up beside her. She shoved her ticket into the machine, grabbed the white slip that appeared, and walked ahead past the bar. She was used to this routine. She turned back to wait for Elena, who appeared a second later.

"So, as I was saying, I really don't think you should be angry at Blaize. I don't like him, but you love him, he's your boyfriend, and you shouldn't get mad at him for making a prejudiced mistake." Elena advised. She sounded like a much older and much wiser person than twelve years old, and Mavi took her advice seriously. She was actually considering talking to Blaize as he walked up behind the two.

"I don't need your help with my relationships, oh wise Avatar." Blaize sneered. Elena immediately erupted, and she wanted to scream at Blaize. Mavi quickly stepped between them.

"Blaize, stop. You don't need to be so cruel to Elena, just because you're jealous." Mavi said coldly.

"Right, side with the Avatar." Blaize muttered dejectedly as he backed away. Mavi turned to Elena, who was still bristling with anger. She clearly didn't want to help anymore. Mavi couldn't blame her. After all, Blaize had clearly rejected her.

"Don't worry. Just put him to the back of your mind for now." Mavi smiled reassuringly. Elena calmed down noticeably. Keeping their anger under control must've been a specialty of airbenders. "So, I'm a huge fan of pro-bending, and I can tell you're new. Just let me explain the rules..." Elena's face brightened, and she looked up eagerly at Mavi as they walked down a long hallway behind everyone else.

"Just wait one moment. Maria, Momo, come and learn how pro-bending works!" Elena gestured to her airbender friends, who both were just as oblivious to the modern tournaments as she was. They all came and walked beside Mavi, who was starting to feel like a very respected teacher.

"Right, so..." Mavi paused for a moment, slightly embarrassed at teaching such a large crowd. "Feel free to ask questions at any time. Pro-bending is a sport, where two teams of three people, each a different type of bender, try to gain territory by pushing all three opponents back a section or knock the opponents off the field. A round is won when either all three opponents are knocked off the field, or when a team has gained the most ground."

"Wait, how do you gain territory?" Momo asked.

"Um..." Mavi searched for a word to describe it. "How about you just wait a few seconds and we'll be in the arena, and then you can see the field for yourself."

The four walked in silence, until the dark hallway ended in a massive door. The doors opened, and a beautiful arena was revealed. All the newcomers gasped and stared around with wide and innocent eyes. Even though Mavi had been here tons of times, she still admired the intricate glass-domed ceiling and the bright lights. There were thousands - no, millions - of seats that surrounded the playing field. It was just a long hexagonal shape that was divided into two colors, red and blue, with water at a lower level surrounding the whole thing. As the group got closer, Mavi began to explain once more.

"Right, so there are elastics barring four sides of the field, leaving the two ends open for team members to be knocked out of. There are five lines on the field, each that look like a kind of mesh, but are actually metal grates. Underneath the grate is water that waterbenders can bend to fight. These lines divide up the field into zones. If you step across the line, either on accident or just because you were pushed back by the opponents, the line will glow red and you will have to stay in that new zone. If all three opponents were pushed back, you get the green light to go ahead into their zone, which is counted as gaining territory. There are a lot of dots on the floor of the field, you see? Those are filled with regulatory earth discs for the earthbenders to use. Firebenders can just conjure up their own flames." Mavi pointed to each part of the field when she named and explained them as they walked along the aisles toward their seats.

"So, what if all three opponents are knocked out of the arena?" Maria asked.

"Then the other team automatically wins, even if the opponents won more rounds." Mavi smiled. "Any other questions before I move on to the rules?"

"What if there's a tie?" Elena blurted out after thinking for a few seconds.

"The ref flips a coin, tails for blue, heads for red. Whichever side wins gets to pick an element. Since there are no airbenders in the pro-bending tournaments, there can only be three elements to choose from. So if the winners choose fire, both firebenders from the teams have to fight head on. You see that circle?" Mavi pointed to a small circle in the center of the field that was marked out by the metal grates. Everyone nodded. "That extends up out of the ground. Both benders stand on it. Then, whoever gets knocked off first loses the round."

"Right, I understand now." Elena nodded. "Now, about those rules?"

"Firebenders and waterbenders cannot blast their element at an opponent for longer than one second. That means they can't unleash a continuous stream of fire or water at any given time during the round. Headshots are allowed only for water. Earthbenders and waterbenders are only allowed to use their element from their zone. That means that earthbenders can't use the regulatory discs from a different zone, and waterbenders can't use water from any other metal grate other than the ones at the front and the back of the zone. They can only use water from those grates, they can't use if from the water beneath the arena. Waterbenders cannot use any other form of water, such as ice, steam, or otherwise. Earthbenders cannot break up the earth discs, but they can use several at once. Earthbenders aren't allowed to bend the metal either, since the field is mostly metal. Only firebenders are not restricted by what type of 'fire' they can bend. Like me, I can bend blue fire, as well as lightning. And to me, it seems like bending lightning is not a foul."

"Cool, lightning!" Elena exclaimed admiringly.

"You know Avatar Korra was actually on the Fire Ferrets team when she was younger?" Mavi smiled. She knew all about the Avatars. "But she was only allowed to bend water. Because it wouldn't be fair if you had the Avatar on your team that could do everything!" Mavi chuckled as they walked up some more stairs. Now, they had a clear view of the playing field.

"Well, now I understand everything about pro-bending!" Elena smiled. Her friends nodded eagerly and agreed.

"Here we are, our premium seats!" Sorella announced as she pointed up.

"Move out of the way, Avatar." Blaize pushed past Elena and Mavi. Elena's anger flared up again as they neared their seats. The found another white-haired girl and a blonde guy sitting close to each other, looking like deer caught in headlights. The girl whispered something in the boy's ear and he wrapped his strong arm around her. She smiled dreamily and lightly kissed his cheek. Mavi felt slightly forlorn, sad that Blaize and her would not be doing this during the tournament as well. She looked at him, but he was just looking angry next to Elena.

"You must be Sao and Mer." Mavi said, sounding overly bright compared to the whirling emotions within her.


	12. The Newcomers

Sao had suggested that he and Mer would go ahead into the arena to save the best seats while the others slowly walked over. Mer had suspected that this was actually a cover to get them alone, but she didn't mind. Sao gave the rest of the group their tickets and they ran along the road, gripping their golden slips of paper. They reached the ticket box, where a machine stood. Behind the machine stood a dense bar made of strange material - probably unbendable by any kind of benders - that barred the way. They slid their tickets into a slot, and a small white slip of paper slid out with their seat numbers on it. The bar disappeared, allowing the couple to go into the arena. It was magnificent, with different colored bright lights and a beautifully crafted ceiling. They hurried over down the hall and up the stairs to the premium box, which was just high enough that they could see above the playing field and watch exactly what was going on, but not so high that everything was infinitesimal to their eyes. Hundreds of people were already gathered around the seats, and yet the place was barely even half-full.

"You did really well in the waterbending match, Mer," Sao murmured over the roar of the arena, his face close to Mer's so she could hear.

"Well, I guess I did okay-" Mer began with a smile before being cut off by Sao.

"You were amazing, Mer. I've never seen a person more skilled in waterbending than you. You beat the avatar! And I'm sure you could beat any of the pros here."

"That's not true!" Mer's pale face blushed profusely, partially because of Sao's compliments and more because of his closeness. She looked up into his clear blue eyes and smiled. "Sao-"

Suddenly his lips rushed to meet Mer's, surprising Mer at first. His lips were soft on hers, so different from the little kiss they had shared during waterbending practice. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer. Mer felt as if she could spend forever like this. She leaned into him, letting herself enjoy the kiss, when they both went tumbling off the bench they shared. Simultaneously, they both burst out laughing.

"I'm such a clutz." Mer laughed.

"I think you're perfect." Sao whispered back, brushing some of Mer's silvery white hair behind her ear. He tilted Mer's chin up gently and leaned forward to kiss her again, but loud footsteps approaching caused them both to jump back to their seats sitting close with their hands touching, but far enough apart to not attract attention. Sorella entered, followed by Elena, Maria, and Momo, who was then followed by three teenagers. One red haired, hazel eyed boy, one fiery orange haired girl, and one beautiful yet familiar looking girl with dark brown hair and blue eyes. The boy purposely put a large amount of space between himself and Elena, who was bristling.

"Uh oh. Wonder what he said." Mer whispered into Sao's ear. He smiled broadly and wrapped his arm around her. Mer felt giddy and even less focused than usual. She just wanted to spend forever with Sao. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, oblivious of six pairs of eyes staring at them. Sorella cleared her throat and turned to Mer.

"You must be Sao and Mer!" The dark-haired girl smiled politely and waved cheerily in greeting.

"Mer, this is Mavi, Blaize, and Katelynn. They're firebenders!" Sorella pointed to each teen in turn. "We met them on the way here, they're sitting next to us."

"Actually, I'm a chi blocker, I can't firebend." Katelynn corrected quietly.

"Wow, so can you guys conjure lightning right here?" Mer asked curiously, not hearing Katelynn's hushed comment.

"Yes, but I'd doubt you'd want me to." Mavi laughed, snapping her fingers so a spark jumped in her hand.

"My name is Sao, by the way," Sao added.

Mavi looked at Sao, and for a second Mer moved closer to him, feeling a tad bit jealous. Mavi was beautiful, after all.

"Where do you come from?" Mer asked.

"Um, the Fire Nation..." Mavi mumbled, looking uncomfortable, gesturing to the obvious insignia on a silver bracelet she had on her wrist.

"Of course, silly. But where in the Fire Nation?"

"Um... the capital," Mavi replied quickly.

"Woah, that's amazing! Have you guys ever met the Fire Lord?" Mer inquired.

"Um..." Mavi stumbled.

"Of course not!" Blaize jumped in. "We're just commoners." He sounded resentful, and Mavi's face darkened somewhat at this comment for a moment, but it passed and Mavi was her normal beautiful self once more. She snorted incredulously and laughed like it was some sort of joke. Blaize shot her a look as if to remind her that they were supposed to be commoners. Mavi immediately stopped laughing and hastily smiled and said to the inquisitive faces, "It's sort of an inside joke, sorry. I can't really explain."

"Okay... Katelynn, what did you mean when you said you were a chi blocker?" Sorella asked, turning to the fiery haired girl. Mer sighed, glad to no longer be the one conducting the conversation. She wasn't any good at socializing. While Katelynn explained about chi blocking, Mer zoned out a bit and turned towards Sao. He didn't seem to be paying any attention to Katelynn's speech either.

"Are you enjoying the match?" Sao asked Mer softly.

"It hasn't started yet, silly." Mer responded in a whisper.

"I know, but isn't it amazing being here with the Avatar?" Sao replied.

"Yes, and of course the others. What do you think of the firebenders?" Mer asked.

"I like them. I don't know what Blaize said to tick Elena off, but Mavi seems nice." Sao responded thoughtfully with a glance towards the beautiful firebender.

"What do you mean, 'Mavi seems nice'?" Mer replied sharply when she caught him steal a look at her.

"Whoa, do I sense some jealousy?" Sao teased lightly.

"That's not funny," Mer said, but she still smiled. Anything Sao said seemed to make the edges of her lips tilt up.

"Trust me, Mavi is no competition compared to you." Sao said in a whisper.

Everyone in the group was still fully engrossed in Katelynn's discussion of chi blocking. She was just explaining how long the effects of her blocking would take away someone's bending.

"...In a normal situation, it lasts more than an hour and less than three, but it depends on the person and how hard I hit them."

"Great, so can you teach me chi blocking?" Elena asked excitedly. "And can Mavi teach me firebending?" Mavi looked surprised to teach the Avatar firebending, but she nodded solemnly, muttering something about how she would be honored to do so.

"Hey, what about me?" Blaize wailed indignantly, but he was immediately hushed with an evil glare from the Avatar.

"What happened between you two?" Sao asked curiously. Elena was angry all over again, her white eyes flashing with rage, her small hands clenched with power. She could do Blaize a lot of harm, but she had enough restraint. Blaize, on the other hand, had his eyebrows furrowed. Mer noticed that his eyebrows were slightly lopsided.

"I stood up for him for his girlfriend, but he's such a jerk, he said he didn't need my help!" Elena growled. "And now he's just being selfish."

"Wait, wait, wait, you're going out with Mavi? Nice." Sao tilted his head up in approval. Blaize nodded back appreciatively. Mer would never understand the things that passed between boys. She looked at Mavi, who was looking very sad. They had obviously been in a fight recently, and Mer and Sao's little love act had made her feel bad. Mer was secretly glad she had never fought with Sao. Mavi shook her head to cleared her thoughts before looking down at the field.

"Shut up, you fools. The game is about to start!" Mavi had a wild gleam in her eye. It was obvious she was a huge fan of pro-bending.

"So, Elena, did anyone explain the rules and stuff about pro-bending?" Mer asked politely. She really wanted to get back to her secret moments with Sao, but at the same time, she really wanted to watch the match. Elena nodded enthusiastically before turning back to the playing field.

"Mer, I really love spending time with you and everything, but I also want to watch the match." Sao began awkwardly. Mer sighed in relief.

"Me too, maybe we can do something later after the match." Mer smiled. "Glad we have this mutual thing." Sao nodded. Everyone in the whole arena turned their attention to the playing field as two platforms began pushing across the water, towards the ends of the hexagon. Loud cheering ensued from everyone as the referee announced both teams. On the red side, a team of three was dressed in red, standing in a triangle, waving and inducing cheers.

"Those are the Mongoose Dragons!" Mavi screamed out as she clapped wildly.

"It's her favorite team, she even firebends in the same style as them." Blaize explained. On the other side, the blue team stood in a straight line. "And those are the Moose Lions." Blaize smiled as Mavi booed with a frenzy.

"And here we have today with us the Ember Island Mongoose Dragons - Mak, Tashi, and Hanzi!" The crowd screamed, some booing, some cheering. The three Mongoose Dragons performed a signature move in turn as the announcer said their names. Mer couldn't see their faces because of their helmets. Mak waved wildly, pulling dust from around the arena and compressing it into an earth ball before he let it drop into the waters below. Tashi, who had a light ponytail sticking out of her helmet, simply flipped over acrobatically and landed squarely right beside her other teammates. Hanzi let out a blast of fire, making girls in the arena scream and faint.

"Hanzi is the best firebender ever!" Mavi screamed. Blaize glared jealously at the firebender on the field. He obviously really did like Mavi a lot.

"And on the other end, we have the Makapu Moose Lions! Miyuki, Pao, and Meilin!" Mavi booed as the announcer pointed to the Moose Lions, who simply waved contemptuously, as if they were too good to put on an act for the fans. The platforms stopped at the end of its path and all six benders walked towards the center. They all took their positions, standing in stances that Mer was not used to.

"Let the match... Begin!"


	13. The EIMD versus the MML

The match was about to start any second. Sorella had come up and stood beside Elena, while Mavi was on her other side.

"Right so, let me explain why waterbending in the pro-bending tournaments are different. It's because you aren't allowed to sustain any water for longer than one second. That means there is no time for fluid movements. Pro-waterbenders have to adapt by changing their fighting style to more match firebending. They're much more aggressive, and they use a lot more jerky movements, such as powerful kicks and punches." Elena nodded as she took this information in before turning back to the playing field. The Mongoose Dragons and the Moose Lions were facing each other, bristling with anticipation. Whoever won this match would win the Pro-Bending Championships, and they were bound to feel the pressure.

"Let the match... Begin!" As soon as the announcer spoke the last word of his sentence, all six benders exploded with power. Hanzi had immediately threw three fireballs in quick succession at Pao, who blocked them all by pulling up the regulation earth discs as shields. When each fireball hit them, they exploded in a puff of dust. Pao then quickly retaliated by kicking floating discs at Hanzi. Meanwhile, Tashi had thrown a fast ball of water at Meilin, who had evaporated it with a spout of fire. She was not as fluid as Elena had thought, but she still seemed powerful and graceful. Mak and Miyuki went head on, throwing water and earth at each other in a frenzy. The announcer was quick to focus on the most interesting fight while the referee kept an eye on all six benders. When Hanzi had successfully knocked Pao off his feet (by aiming a fireball at his chest and then throwing another one at his feet), Mak had taken advantage of this and kicked four earth discs at the same time to the two remaining standing opponents. They all flew backward into the next zone. Then Tashi pushed a slice of water under Pao and pushed him straight off the field.

"WOO! GO MONGOOSE DRAGONS!" Mavi screamed as the center grate glowed green, allowing the three red teammates to pass into blue territory. They ran forward and battered an onslaught of elements at the two remaining Moose Lions, who worked hard to fend off their attacks. Meilin threw a fireball straight at Tashi, who barely stopped it as it pushed her back. Her foot slightly passed over the metal grate behind her, and a noise blared from the sound system as the grate glowed red. Tashi scowled and retreated back into the next zone before continuing to throw water at her opponents. Mavi booed loudly at this.

"COME ON, TASHI!" Elena screamed.

"Time's running out, the Mongoose Dragons are going to win this round!" Mer applauded loudly beside her sister. Sorella screamed and joined in with the crazy clapping. Another noise blared out and the ref stopped the benders.

"The Mongoose Dragons win the first round!" The announcer shouted into his microphone, just as excited as the rest of the fans in the arena. Katelynn screamed her approval as Blaize whistled. Both teams returned to their places as Pao, who had swum out of the water and back onto the platform, was transported back onto the field.

"Let the second round... Begin!" The ref watched closely as the benders began to move again. Each team worked as one unit, combining their forces to try and take down each other. After the loss of the first round, the Moose Lions were working a lot harder to try to win the second round. They lashed out, wasting their energy and time as the Mongoose Dragons simply dodged the attacks. Hanzi jumped up and spun in the air as a water spear brushed by, barely grazing his side, before kicking out. A huge blast of fire hit Miyuki square in the chest and she backed up, hunching over. The whole audience held their breath as she neared the metal line that divided up the zones. However, before she could step over, Meilin had grabbed her hand and jerked her away from the grate. The Moose Lions were surviving. However, they were still slightly on the weaker side. Tashi launched a water spear around at Pao, who was knocked over into Meilin. They both fell onto the floor, but just before anyone could act on this moment of weakness, the round ended once more.

"A TIE!" Elena shrieked in excitement, just as the announcer said the exact same thing.

"Now, the referee will flip a coin! And... the Moose Lions get to pick!" All of Elena's friends groaned as the referee gestured to the blue team. Meilin stepped forward into the circle, gesturing to her friends as if to say "I've got this." She obviously had a long term rivalry with Hanzi, who also stepped into the circle. The circle rose about two feet above the rest of the playing field.

"And... Go!" Hanzi immediately jumped up and blasted a long strand at Meilin from the air, who punched it out of existence before returning two quick short blasts of fire from both sides of Hanzi. He ducked down and shot fire at Meilin's legs, tripping her slightly as she jumped to avoid it. She fell on her side, but dodged the three consecutive blasts of fire from Hanzi as she stood up, but as she rolled over, she crossed the centerline of the small circle. It blared red, and the ref called out. The announcer repeated what the ref said.

"Mongoose Dragons win this round because Meilin stepped over the line!" The circle lowered as Hanzi raised his hands up in the air, proud. Meilin stomped off to the back of her team, who tried to reassure her. All they had to do was get a knockout.

"YEAH LOSERS KNOCKOUTS ARE OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE!" Mavi screamed at Meilin, who looked up sharply, searching for the one who had shouted out like that. Mavi's eyes widened and she shrunk down. Luckily, Meilin didn't find her. Elena caught Blaize smiling and laughing at Mavi with love in his eyes before catching himself and turning away from Mavi, still holding a grudge.

"Let the final round begin!" The ref shouted out. Mavi popped right back up, eager to watch the Mongoose Dragons crush the Moose Lions.

Sadly, Meilin, who was the main player, had lost all livelihood and was knocked off the field quickly. Miyuki and Pao fought all the harder, and they even managed to knock Mak back two zones, but he regained the territory. Miyuki was knocked back to the last zone by a well aimed fireball from Hanzi, and Pao was knocked back a zone by a curl of water from Tashi. The three pushed forward into blue territory. Mak stomped on the ground, bringing up a few earth discs from beneath him and kicking them all forward at the same time. They hit Pao and sent him into the last zone with his teammate. The Mongoose Dragons got the green light to advance once more, and Tashi was the first to jump forward, pulling water from behind her and splitting it into two before hitting both Pao and Miyuki. They stumbled, but did not fall. Hanzi took advantage and kicked out two fireballs, which hit his already stumbling opponents. They fell from the impact. Mak came forward and stomped on the ground, pulling up two earth discs. He was about to finish off the two cowering figures, but then the ref stopped him. Time ran out. The championships were won.

A sweet silence fell over the whole crowd for a fraction of a second before everyone burst into applause and cheers.

"I KNEW THEY WOULD WIN!" Mavi screamed as she jumped up and down around the premium box, hugging everyone. Elena whooped as she hugged Mavi. The referee came down to the playing field from his position above the circle.

"The Mongoose Dragons win this year's Pro-Bending Championships!"

Elena cheered before she ran down the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Maria called out.

"I need to talk to the Mongoose Dragons!" Elena called out. She wanted to know all about Tashi's more modern and technical way of fighting. She wanted to learn more about earthbending from Mak and firebending from Hanzi. But would they even agree to speak to her? She was just a young airbender, and they were the champions of the pro-bending world.

"Hanzi! Mak! Tashi!" Elena called out as she appeared in the room where the team had originally appeared from. They were changing out of their red uniforms.

"Uh, hi? How did you get here?" Tashi asked. She had gray eyes and pale skin, with long blonde hair. She had a low voice for a girl, but it still sounded melodic and soothing. Elena's face darkened for a second. She knew Tashi was wondering how a blind girl had wandered there.

"I'm not blind, if that's what you're wondering." Elena smiled as she pulled up her hair, revealing her slightly blue eyes as well as her airbender tattoo.

"Oh, I apologize." Tashi bowed slightly to Elena.

"This is probably a fan!" Hanzi smiled as he shook Elena's hand eagerly. "It's nice to meet you! You obviously know who we are." His voice was more gravelly but in a seductive way. Elena could totally understand why all the older girls were falling heads over heels for him. He also looked very handsome in a ruggish and wild way, with tan skin, flyaway brown hair and amber eyes. He had a very angular and slender face.

"I'm Elena!" She smiled at the warm reception that Hanzi was giving her.

"Hello, Elena." Mak greeted her as he pulled off his helmet. He had blonde hair and pale skin, like Tashi, but he had brown eyes. He was very buff and muscular.

"It's an honor to meet you all! It's absolutely amazing how you fight. I just really came to learn more about firebending and earthbending, and I wanted to get some tips from you, Tashi! Your fighting style is so different from the fluid movements of the kind of waterbending that I learned." Elena rambled on, she had forgotten to hide the fact that she was the Avatar.

"Wait, you're an airbender, but you also waterbend?" Hanzi gasped. "The Avatar is our fan?!"

"Wow this is such an honor!" Mak exclaimed as he stopped midway while pulling his shirt over his bare chest.

"I'm sorry I thought you were blind, Avatar Elena!" Tashi gulped nervously, as if she expected Elena to enter the Avatar State and wipe out the whole arena.

"Don't be silly, everyone makes that mistake all the time. But can I have some tips from you? I've only learned waterbending so far, and I'm going to Charisse to learn earthbending soon." Elena sat down on the bench as Tashi sat on the floor.

"I'm from the Northern Water Tribe."

"Yeah, I know Mer and Sorella! They're here now." Elena smiled. Tashi nodded, probably making a mental note to meet them later.

"So I too learned the fluid movements that you have learned. But they were not adequate for the fast-paced and aggressive pro-bending matches. So I adapted by learning from Hanzi. He showed me some movements, but they were for firebending. I simply copied them, pushing water from beneath me instead of projecting fire from my hands."

"So when I learn firebending, I can just apply that to waterbending and come up with some pro-bending moves?" Elena asked excitedly.

"Yes, yes you can." Hanzi smiled.

"I have one more question... Is it possible, if I visit all the air temples, that the teams would be extended into four and airbenders would be allowed to join in on the pro-bending?"

"Well you'd have to get them out of seclusion so that airbenders would be all over every city, easy to find and make up a team, you know. Pro-bending teams shouldn't have to go into the air temples to find someone to be part of their team." Mak answered solemnly. Elena nodded, and thanked the champions for their time.

"Great job on winning!" Elena waved goodbye before leaving. She met up with the rest of her friends just as they had gathered their stuff and prepared to leave.

"There you are! Come on, we're going back to camp." Sorella smiled. They finally left, with Elena considering everything she had learned today.


	14. The Wreck

The large group of eight people walked of the the bright and shining arena into the night. The match had lasted pretty long, and the moon was already high in the sky. They reached a fork in the road soon enough.

"Where are you staying?" Katelynn asked.

"A nice campsite." Mer answered simply before returning her attention to Sao. Mavi was still slightly jealous of the new couple that had no problems or arguments.

"Well, if you're going to be teaching Elena later on, you're very welcome to stay at our campsite as long as necessary." Sorella said to Katelynn, Mavi, and Blaize. Elena scowled at Blaize but stayed silent. "We have a great spot!"

"I wouldn't want to impose.." Mavi started awkwardly. "We have our own place in the forest next to the Savir Park."

"Why should you stay in a dark forest? Come with us, you'll be safe. We should stick together if we're going to be travelling together." Sorella argued.

"Do you even have enough room?" Mavi asked, starting to warm to the idea of staying with the group.

"My father is the chieftain of our tribe! The place he got us to pitch our tents is huge." Sorella said excitedly.

"Are you sure?" Mavi asked, biting her lip hesitantly.

"Positive." Sorella smiled.

"Ok, fine. We'll stay with you guys." Mavi relented with a smile in Sorella's direction. She was starting to like her.

"Great! We're going to have a great time." Sorella smiled positively.

"Of course!" Elena replied warmly.

"Just one problem," Blaize cut in. "Where will we keep Dune and Lux?"

"Who?" Mer asked as she turned her attention away from Sao.

"Um... our dragon and phoenix." Mavi mumbled. If they couldn't keep their companions with them, they wouldn't stay at all.

"Woah! That is so amazing! They could stay in our stable tent things with Eau." Mer exclaimed.

"Eau is her pet wolf." Sorella elaborated for her sister.

"Is he... tame?" Mavi asked worriedly.

"He's like a butterfly stuffed inside of a pink marshmallow. He wouldn't hurt a thing." Mer snorted. Mavi looked unsure but trusted Mer. Although she did think a wolf was a strange animal companion. It wasn't like she could ride it or anything. Wolves were too small and skinny for anything other than being a friend. Katelynn told Mer and Sorella they'd return soon with their animal companions and waved goodbye to them.

As they set off in the direction they had last seen Lux and Dune in, Blaize and Mavi stayed painfully silent, Mavi still apparently seething from what he said to Elena. Blaize seemed to only slightly regret what he said, but he was still angry too. And there's nothing scarier than two angry firebenders. Katelynn walked awkwardly between the two of them. Mavi wondered if she should start a conversation, wondering if any attempt at starting conversation would result in a yelling match between the two. She decided to simply stay silent and observe her surroundings. The entire walk there was in stony silence, and Mavi could only hope that upon seeing their animal companions, they would lighten up a bit. But for now, Mavi thought forlornly, it was just as if they weren't a couple at all.

The walk lasted long through the trees. Katelynn brought out her compass. When they reached the campsite, everyone worked silently to pack up.

Do you want to apologize to Blaize? Lux asked as Mavi hooked up a bag to her saddle.

Not yet, I don't feel like I should. Mavi sighed as she looked over at Blaize's tall figure. He was still cute, but that thought just made Mavi more lonely than ever.

You are hurting yourself by holding your grudge. Being too proud is not good. Lux advised. The phoenix picked up her egg and left the nest as she flew away. She knew, from Mavi's memories, who she needed to find. She would simply give a note to someone that Mavi had written, saying that this was Lux, her phoenix.

Dune followed, without taking anyone with him.

"Why are they making us walk?" Katelynn asked tentatively. She didn't want to break the silence or cause a fight, but this was a serious question.

"I think Lux sensed something was going to happen on the walk." Mavi guessed.

"Or maybe Dune just forgot about us." Blaize sighed. They walked out of the forest and back onto the streets. Blaize seemed a lot more lonely than before. He must've felt completely deserted. Mavi felt the need to go to him, but she too was experiencing problems, so she refrained. Katelynn simply looked back and forth at the both of them, confused and utterly lost. Katelynn was always the independent girl. She didn't care much for material things. She didn't understand relationships.

They walked down road after road until they appeared once again at the arena. They then headed down a much more crowded street. They were close to Sorella's campsite now. Blaize wasn't looking around him. He was staring at his feet. A car whizzed by, barely missing him. Mavi was paralyzed with fear as Blaize kept walking around, not caring. He wasn't looking around for danger. Within a split second, Mavi's worst fears came true.

A car hit Blaize.

"BLAIZE!" Mavi screamed as his body went flying low over the ground before skidding a few meters away. She ran to his body with Katelynn hot on her heels. Blaize's red hair was covered in blood and dirt. His body looked broken. Was he dead? No, his chest was rising and falling slowly. He was unconscious.

"He's going to die soon if you don't help him." Katelynn whispered.

"HELP ME!" Mavi screamed at the people of Republic City, but no one cared. They just hurried along, running their mediocre and useless errands. "Katelynn, help me." Mavi slowly flipped Blaize over on his back. He groaned.

"I'm so sorry, Blaize, but we're going to have to carry you." Katelynn gently picked up his body with Mavi's help.

"I'm sorry, baby." Mavi whispered into Blaize's ear as she stroked his dirty hair. They walked quickly down the street, leaving a trail of blood. They tried to walk as smoothly as possible, but every slight movement would send a shot of pain through Blaize's body. He was dying. And the last thing Blaize would remember was Mavi being angry at him. Tears streaked Mavi's face, but she refused to let out everything. Blaize needed her, and she would not desert him.

Before long, they spotted a nice and warm campfire in a secluded area far from the road.

"SORELLA! ELENA!" Mavi screamed. She knew they were healers. Elena had learned how to heal on their trip to Republic City. "HELP!" Mavi pleaded as she sobbed uncontrollably. Everyone around the fire rushed out of the thin trees to see what was going on.

"Mavi?! BLAIZE?!" Elena screamed as she saw the bloody figure in Katelynn's and Mavi's arms. Sorella, too, was surprised, but she was more composed and held in most of her fears. Everyone else - Maria, Momo, Mer, and Sao - simply stood there with blank and unbelieving eyes. Mer nearly faint, but Sao caught her as she fell.

"Bring him by the fire." Sorella commanded.

"No, let us do it. We can airbend, so that he doesn't have to move around so much." Maria said as she snapped out of her daze. Elena, Momo, and Maria slowly helped Blaize over to the fire. He looked eerie, floating in the air, a floating corpse.

"He's not dead yet!" Sorella snapped. "I'm going to need a lot of clean water, a semi circular needle, and some suture thread made of a special kind of silk! Katelynn, you have to help me, since you have an extensive knowledge of the human body." Blaize was set down in a green patch of grass, and Katelynn and Sorella ran to his small figure. Mer and Sao ran off towards the sound of trickling water. Mavi just stood there, too afraid to approach her boyfriend's near-dead body. But she did it anyways. She'd have to watch them heal him. She needed to know if he was going to survive or not.

"What do we do first?" Sorella prompted Elena as they waited for the water and other supplies. Elena stared at the fire with blank eyes. Momo nudged her, and she took a deep breath and focused in.

"Clean up the blood." Elena replied with a clear voice. She grabbed several towels from one of her bags. Mer and Sao returned with several potfuls of clear water. Mavi inched closer as the three healers (Elena, Sorella, and Katelynn) began to clean his blood away.

"If you want, you can help." Sorella turned to look at Mavi with a small sympathetic smile. Mavi nodded and grabbed a towel and sunk it into the pot of water. She dried it slightly and began gently brushing the slightly dried blood off of Blaize's forehead. He was feverish.

After a few minutes, all the blood was gone, except for the blood that kept flowing out of one severe gash on Blaize's leg.

"There's most definitely shrapnel from the car in his leg." Sorella said. "Clean it out." Elena obeyed as she bended water into the deep wound. Several pieces of metal, as well as dirt and more blood, flowed into the water as she cleaned it up.

"Good. Now we have to sew it up. Elena and Katelynn, gently feel for any broken ribs." Sorella scooted over to Blaize's knee as Elena took her place by Blaize's torso. Sao handed Sorella a needle and thread. She began sewing methodically with evenly placed stitches. The gash slowly closed up. As Sorella was focused on this task, Elena and Katelynn were gently running their hands over Blaize's chest.

"I can't work with his clothes on." Elena growled.

"I agree, his clothes are bound to contaminate any of his wounds." Katelynn nodded towards Sorella, who was just about done with Blaize's gash. Now there was a long row of lines on his right outer thigh. Sorella tied off the last stitch and ripped it off with her teeth. She then began to pull off Blaize's pants, gently. Elena and Katelynn did the same with his shirt. Mavi wanted to look away at the indecency.

"Mavi, it's okay. Don't feel embarrassed about this. Would you rather have him die or lie naked in front of his friends?" Mer patted Mavi's shoulder.

"Thanks." Mavi croaked out as she looked on. Blaize was lying naked on the ground. He had another deep gash near his crotch that they had not seen before, due to his pants. Mavi wriggled uncomfortably at the sight, but she endured. Elena and Katelynn kept feeling his chest for any broken ribs. Sorella cleaned up his other gash with water before stitching it up as well. It was a smaller gash, but it was deeper as well. Mavi could slightly see some bone. A tear ran down her cheek once more as she gently brushed Blaize's hair, which was still matted with blood. Fresh blood.

"I have a few broken ribs over here." Elena announced as she held her hand on Blaize's chest.

"There's a gash over here." Katelynn pointed to something on Blaize's lower back that was oozing blood.

"There's fresh blood in Blaize's hair." Mavi whispered. Sorella's head snapped up when Mavi spoke. She quickly finished stitching up his inner thigh wound and ripped the thread off.

"A head wound?" Sorella gasped. She ran to her satchel and pulled out long shears.

"What are you going to do?!" Mavi cried as she eyed the shears warily.

"Cut his hair off." Sorella pushed Mavi out of the way and began chopping off Blaize's beautiful red hair. As it all came falling to the ground at Mavi's knees, a bleeding wound was revealed. There was a slight dent in his head.

"Wow he's lucky he survived." Elena murmured.

"Go heal his leg wounds." Sorella snapped at Elena as she began examining the head wound.

"But you already stitched it." Katelynn reasoned.

"Yes, but I only staunched the bleeding and held his skin together. His wounds are deep and they will need some water healing." Sorella glanced up at Elena as she nodded and turned to his inner thigh wound. She bended water out of a pot and placed it on the stitches as she closed her eyes and concentrated. The water glowed a bright electric blue, the same color as Mavi's eyes. Nothing happened on the surface, but Mavi knew that deep within Blaize's leg, the wound was beginning to heal.

"He has a dislocated shoulder..." Katelynn reported. Sorella began to sweat. There were too many wounds to deal with.

"Pop it back." Sorella said. Katelynn shook her head. She didn't know how. "Fine, clean up the lower back wound!" Katelynn slowly flipped Blaize on his side and began to wipe at it with a wet towel. Sorella bended water out of the pot. They were low.

"I need more water!" Sorella growled. Sao immediately got up from his position on the floor and picked up the pots and ran back to the river. Sorella wrapped the water around Blaize's head and it glowed blue. Mavi heard an ominous crack and winced as she sat by Sorella.

"Is everything okay?" Sao asked as he came back with two full pots of water.

"Don't worry, that's just his skull snapping back into place." Sorella reassured. Soon, the shallow cut on Blaize's head disappeared as well, leaving a bald head. Sorella turned and crawled over to Elena.

"Is the wound healed?" Katelynn asked Elena. She nodded. They gently flipped Blaize over onto his side. Elena worked on his outer leg wound while Katelynn and Sorella worked on his still bleeding back wound. Soon, it was completely gone. It didn't need any stitches. Sorella rushed over to Elena, who had also finished healing Blaize's other leg wound.

"They aren't completely healed, I just did the best I could." Elena muttered. She was frustrated.

"Don't worry, I'll continue. You feel his left shoulder. It's dislocated. I know you can set it back, I believe in you." Sorella bended more water out of the pot and began to heal once more, filling the campsite with the blue light. The moon was beginning to set, and sunlight began to filter into the trees. Now the campsite was glowing blue and orange. Elena hurried over to Blaize's shoulder without protest. She felt his shoulder.

"Here, I can help. My dad helped me with my dislocated shoulder once." Mavi helped Elena. The Avatar pulled Blaize's upper body into the air, since he was lying on his left side and watched as Mavi pushed his shoulder back into place. There was a click. "I'll make a sling for him. You go fix his right ribs." Mavi ran over to grab some leaves and began to construct a sling as Elena healed Blaize's ribs. Elena took longer than normal on his ribs, looking extremely frustrated. When she had opened her eyes and let the water slosh to her knees, Blaize already had his sling on and was sitting clean with his pants on.

"What took you so long?" Sorella asked patiently. She was sitting beside Elena while everyone else slept from exhaustion. Mavi was also still awake at Blaize's head, sitting vigil, waiting for him to wake up.

"He had a punctured lung." Elena sighed as she flopped down on the grass. The sun was already in the sky. It was probably already seven in the morning. She had worked all night.

"Wow, I'm surprised you healed it." Sorella nodded. "You've excelled." Elena smiled wearily. "Now we need to get Blaize into a tent." Mavi, Elena, and Sorella worked hard to get Blaize into Mavi's tent, which Sao had generously pitched before he went to sleep.

"Take good care of him." Elena waved goodbye and flopped down inside her tent, which was right next to Mavi's. Before long, she could hear soft snores emitting from within the tent. A smile lit up Mavi's face.

"If anything happens, anything at all, don't be afraid to wake me up. I want to know if anything happens. Even if it's something stupid like 'Blaize rolled over in his sleep.' And when he wakes up, don't let him move." Sorella hugged Mavi gently before returning to her own tent. Mavi looked down at Blaize. He looked weird without his hair, but she would not focus on physical looks. Mavi pulled out another spare shirt and pulled it over Blaize's head. She pulled a blanket over him and laid down next to him. He was breathing regularly now. She loved her new friends. They had stayed up the whole night just to save a guy they had barely met. The Avatar was truly going to be one of the best. Before Mavi knew it, she was drifting off to sleep.

When she woke up, it was the afternoon. She had slept for a few hours. She looked up at Blaize, who was snoring like his usual self. Mavi smiled sleepily. She knew he would wake up soon. Mavi got up slowly and stretched. She was sore all over, and her eyes were slightly puffy from crying all night. Her stomach growled, and she patted it, making sure to eat later.

Before she could do anything else, another growl sounded out around the campsite. But it wasn't Mavi's stomach. Everyone in the campsite was still sleeping peacefully. They were about to be attacked! Mavi grabbed a knife from her backpack and took one last glance at Blaize, who was sleeping so peacefully. She kissed his chapped lips and crept out of the tent. Quickly surveying the camp, she found that the growling was actually coming from one of the largest tents! She ran quickly and quietly to the tent. Preparing herself to be attacked, she ran into the tent and immediately tripped over a large and furry object.

"What in the world?" Mavi spat out fur and crawled over to her knife, which had flown across the tent. She looked up at the furry mass. She couldn't tell what it was, but it was white with a few brown stripes. It was breathing slowly. Maybe this was the back of the animal? Mavi crawled over to the other end of the tent. There was a huge head... with horns... and an arrow on his head! It was a sky bison!

"You must be Elena's sky bison!" Mavi whispered as she poked the animal's leg. Mavi could see now why she couldn't tell what it was from the back. The sky bison was laying down on his side. Mavi sat down next to the sky bison, but then another animal hopped out from the saddle on its back. It was a winged lemur with green eyes that looked vaguely familiar.

"Hello, are you Maria's companion?" Mavi smiled as the lemur landed next to her legs. She rubbed the lemur's long ears and it purred. But before her eyes, the lemur transformed. Mavi tried to scream but a very human hand blocked her mouth, stunning her into silence.

"I'm actually Elena's companion. Theo the sky bison is Maria's companion." The girl said. It was Momo.

"You're a lemur?" Mavi whispered.

"I'm a winged lemur and I have wings." Momo admitted. Two feathery wings showed from behind Momo before they retracted back.

"Elena is so lucky! You can fly and stuff! That's awesome." Mavi laughed once she got over the shock. Momo nodded somberly.

"How is Blaize?"

"He's doing great, I think he should wake up soon." Mavi replied happily.

"Then you should go to him and be there when he wakes." Momo suggested. She returned to lemur form and climbed back onto the saddle and disappeared from sight. Mavi nodded and grabbed her knife before walking out and back to her tent. Inside, Blaize was already returning to consciousness.

"Blaize!" Mavi ran to his side as he blinked his eyes open. He tried to get up to greet Mavi, but she pushed him down gently. "Don't move, you'll hurt yourself." Mavi kissed him gently and sat down next to him.

"What happened? Why am I bald?" Blaize slowly used his right arm to rub his very short hair. His left arm was still in a sling.

"You were hit by a car." Mavi muttered. She felt horrible. "I thought you were going to die."

"Oh yeah, I remember now. I was so afraid that I would die with the last memory of you being angry at me." Blaize sighed gravely. "But death is not an option."

"Oh, Blaize, I'm so sorry!" Mavi sobbed as she laid down on his chest. He gently stroked her hair comfortingly. Mavi's sobs died away soon enough, and they laid like that for a while longer.

"It must suck being bald." Mavi commented as Blaize continued to run his fingers through her hair. Blaize shrugged slightly and grunted.

"I'm pretty hungry, you know." He said after a while. Mavi snorted and pulled some beef jerky out of her bag and fed it to him. "I feel so helpless." Blaize sighed between bites.

"Hush and eat. You're officially helpless, and I'm here to help you." Mavi smiled as she stroked his bald head.

"Can you stop that, you're making me feel even more bald than normal!" Blaize complained. Mavi laughed and shoved some beef in his mouth. She then brought out her waterskin and let Blaize drink some.

"Feel better?" Mavi asked once Blaize closed his eyes. He nodded quietly. Mavi smiled and tenderly stroked his cheek before leaning down and kissing him again. This time, Blaize returned the kiss. It grew more intense, but before they could go any further, Blaize winced.

"Ouch." Blaize chuckled as Mavi pulled away, afraid.

"Sorry." Mavi sighed as she laid down next to him.

"This sucks." Blaize muttered into Mavi's ear. "I wish I could kiss you forever."

"Rise and shine, oh lovely firebenders! Glad to see you're back together, now move away so that I can inspect Blaize's progress!" Sorella walked into the tent with a bright smile on her face. Mavi shuffled away and watched as Sorella poked him. His ribs were bruised, but not broken anymore. His shoulder was coming along fine, as well as his back. But when Sorella poked Blaize's leg wound, nothing happened.

"Aren't you going to keep poking me?" Blaize asked. Mavi's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You didn't feel that?" Mavi whispered.

"No, this can't be!" Sorella poked Blaize's leg harder. "Did you feel that?"

"Feel what? Is this some kind of joke?" Blaize muttered as he lifted his head and looked at Sorella.

"Roll on your stomach." Sorella commanded, not answering Blaize's questions. Mavi helped Blaize to roll over. "Mavi, go get Elena, tell her it's urgent."

Mavi nodded. Just before she exited the tent, she could see Sorella pulling Blaize's shirt off gently and running her hands along his spine. Mavi's heart sank as she filled with dread. She ran over to the next tent and entered. There, Elena was curled up, her hair a mess. She was still sleeping.

"Elena? Wake up, it's urgent. It's Blaize." Mavi shook Elena up. She muttered, but as soon as she heard Blaize's name she sat up quickly. She grabbed a hair tie she had bought from a vendor and tied her messy brown hair up, revealing her light eyes and blue airbender tattoo. She ran out of her tent with Mavi following and into Mavi's tent.

"What's up?" Elena questioned when she saw Sorella poking Blaize's back.

"His spine is broken. He's paralyzed from the waist down."

"WHAT?" Mavi and Blaize exclaimed at the same time. "Can't you heal it, like you did with his skull?" Mavi asked.

"My skull was broken?!" Blaize wailed.

"Hush, Blaize." Sorella shoved Blaize's head back down. "I can't heal it. I called Elena over just for that reason."

"Me? I can't heal a broken spine that even you can't heal!" Elena began to cry, her tears falling down her weary and beaten face.

"Yes you can. Blaize, you're not going to die yet. You probably have at least a month. Elena, come with me." Sorella and Elena walked out of the tent.

Mavi began crying all over again. "Blaize, I can't lose you again. Not so soon."


	15. The Hylocereus Flower: Part One

"Get Katelynn. Tell her to tell you where Guru Oraefo is. Tell Katelynn that you need to open the chakras now, or Blaize will die." Sorella pushed Elena off before returning to Blaize's tent. Elena stumbled but caught herself and ran to Katelynn's tent.

"I need to know where Guru Oraefo is so that I can open the chakras or Blaize will die." Elena repeated. She had no idea what chakras were, but Katelynn obviously did. Her eyes widened at the mentioning of chakras.

"Who told you this?" Katelynn asked accusingly.

"Sorella." Elena replied, slightly scared.

"How did she know I knew Guru Oraefo? And what's wrong with Blaize, I thought you healed him!"

"I don't know about Guru Oraefo, but Blaize's spine is broken and he's paralyzed from the waist down. Sorella is in Mavi's tent, and so is Blaize."

Katelynn nodded and ran back into her tent. She brought out a compass and a map. She grabbed a few berries and squished the juice out onto a rough trail from Republic City to a place in the center of the Earth Kingdom. "The journey will take about five days if you take Maria's sky bison. You must make the journey alone."

Elena nodded. Katelynn ran to Mavi's red tent while Elena ran to Maria's.

"Maria I need to take Theo on a journey that could potentially save Blaize's life." Elena announced as she ran into the tent. Maria looked up questioningly. "Blaize broke his spine." Maria nodded and sighed.

"Here, I bought a bison whistle. I got the idea from Mer. Use it in case Theo strays away." Maria handed a plastic whistle on a string to Elena and hugged her. "Good luck."

Elena ran back out and packed a small bag of a few articles of clothing, two full waterskins, and three packages of food. She then strung the satchel over her shoulder and ran to Theo's tent. Momo was resting there in her lemur form. She looked up inquisitively, her bright green eyes innocent.

"Sorry, Momo, I have to go alone, ask Maria and Sorella and Katelynn why!" Elena pulled Theo out of the tent and hopped on his back.

Bye Elena, good luck! Momo thought out as she flapped out of the tent. Elena threw a lychee nut at her animal companion before hopping onto Theo's head and grabbing the reins.

"Yip yip, Theo!" Theo baa'd and rose into the air, leaving the campsite behind. Once they were high in the air, Elena pulled out the map and compass. "Go to the southeast... and yeah."

So that is exactly what Theo did. He flew southeast. Before long, the plains and cities of the Earth Kingdom changed to desert. "Three days, yeah right." Elena muttered. But she soon realized that it would take three days - or more - to find anyone in this desert.

Theo neared the ground as they tried to find people walking around the barren wasteland. A puff of dust got steadily larger as someone (or something) neared the two.

"Maybe those are sandbenders!" Elena whispered to Theo, who grunted in agreement. "Let's land and wait for them." Theo obliged and landed in full view of the sandbenders. They were dressed in sand colored clothes, with their heads, forearms, and legs wrapped in brown strips of cloth. As they got even closer, Elena could see that they were wearing sunglasses that blocked out both the sun and the sand. They were riding sand-sailers, which had one large sail that was propelled by whirls of sand. Although Elena could not see it, there was also a compass that always pointed to the center of the desert. Elena waved as the sandbenders began circling around them. Theo and Elena were surrounded.

The head sandbender walked out of the small hut attached to the runners of the sand-sailer and jumped off of the sand-sailer and walked up to Elena.

"What do you want from us?" The sandbender had a light and happy voice, and Elena realized that it was a girl.

"I need to know where Guru Oraefo is." Elena smiled. The other sandbenders were still driving their sand-sailers around the two, creating a circle of dust.

"What business do you have with her?" She asked suspiciously, bending down to Elena's eye level. She could see through the sunglasses, but only barely.

"Um, I'm the Avatar." Elena said uncomfortably. The sandbender straightened and huffed disbelievingly.

"Prove it." The sandbender retorted. Elena sighed. She had never truly been doubted before.

"Well as you can see I'm an airbender." Elena pointed to the arrow on her forehead. She then bended some air around. The sandbender nodded. Elena then also bended water out of her waterskin, wiggling it around before returning it. "I'm only twelve so I don't know how to bend earth or fire yet."

"It's okay, I believe you. No one but the Avatar can bend both water and air. Do you need a ride to see Guru Oraefo? Your sky bison can follow us in the air." Elena nodded gratefully. "By the way, my name is Evadne, welcome to the Si Wong Desert."

"My name is Elena." Elena nodded to the lead sandbender. She signaled for her team to stop their sand-sailers, and after a few seconds, the dust had settled. There were six sand-sailers in total, and Elena guessed there were about three to four sandbenders in each.

"Could you maybe teach me how to bend sand while we're travelling?" Elena asked as she observed the other sandbenders.

"Of course. It is your duty to learn as many possible forms of bending as you can." Evadne smiled as she got on her sand-sailer. Elena followed with her ears open, prepared to learn about sandbending. Theo jumped into the air and spun around in low circles, waiting for the sandbenders to depart.

"Hey there, Avatar. I'm Alessandro. Honor to meet you." Another sandbender came up to Elena and shook her hand. He then took his place at the front of the sand-sailer and whipped up a whirl of sand that propelled the sand-sailer forward.

"Right, so sandbending uses very similar techniques to waterbending and airbending. Since you know how to do both, you can most definitely easily learn how to sandbend." Evadne pushed the grains of sand that were passing by the sand-sailer.

"Wow, I'm so lucky." Elena chuckled at the coincidence. She focused on the sand. The particles moved together like a group, flowing like a river of yellow grains. If she just thought of the sand as water, it was actually pretty easy to bend it. She pushed the sand out, and Evadne applauded.

"Great job, you're a pretty fast learner!" Evadne laughed. "Just keep practicing, and you'll do fine." Evadne turned her attention to the rest of the sandbenders in her tribe. Elena kept practicing, taking it slow. Before too long, she could bend the sand just as well as she could bend water.

"Amazing!" Alessandro exclaimed as he looked back at Elena bending a loop of sand around her waist. "You're the best Avatar I've ever seen!"

"She's the only Avatar you've ever seen, Alessandro." Evadne scoffed with a hint of laughter and teasing in her voice. Alessandro chuckled and returned his focus onto driving the sand-sailer forward. After a few more minutes, Evadne shouted out to her team, "We're nearing the Si Wong Rock! Stop now, and let the Avatar go forward." The sandbenders obeyed and the sand-sailers slowed down until they were motionless in the hot sun.

"I have a compass. Where am I supposed to go now?" Elena asked as she pulled out her compass.

"Keep heading southeast. You'll reach a large black rock. Under that rock is Guru Oraefo. We cannot go any closer. Neither can your sky bison, but we will take care of him. How will we know when to retrieve you?" Evadne asked.

"I have a whistle that will call to my sky bison. If you're not too far away from the Si Wong Rock, he'll hear and come to pick me up and take me home. Thank you so much for helping me, as well as teaching me sandbending." Elena bowed deeply to Evadne.

"Goodbye, Avatar!" Evadne waved as Elena stepped off the sand-sailer. Elena jogged off into the southeast, waving back to all the sandbenders and Theo. After a while of running, Elena began to have doubts. Evadne had said they were close to the Si Wong Rock, and yet she had seen nothing but sand dunes all around her.

"Wait, what am I doing?" Elena muttered, berating herself for not thinking of this solution before. She pulled out her glider and pushed off into the air to get a better view of her surroundings. It was much better than walking around. Elena could feel the dry wind blow through her messy, sandy ponytail. A black spot on the ground caught her eye, and she lowered back down. It was just like Evadne had said, it was a large black rock rising out of the sand, seeming out of place in the flat desert. But now that Elena had finally reached the rock, two days ahead of time, she didn't know what to do.

"Um... Guru Oraefo? I'm the... Avatar... Can I come in?" Elena asked the rock, feeling foolish. What if this was the wrong rock? What if Guru Oraefo wasn't even here? Elena sighed and climbed on top of the rock. She didn't know why, but she got the feeling that she should sit down and meditate. So she plopped down on the black rock. It was cool to the touch, even though it had been sitting in the hot sun for many hours. Elena closed her eyes and cleared her mind. She sat there for quite some time before she gave up. She opened her eyes as the sun began to set. Right in front of her stood a very tan woman with white hair. Elena jumped, surprised, before sliding down the rock. This must be Guru Oraefo. Her white hair was not unnatural, like Mer's or Momo's, but rather a result of old age. Her tan skin was leathery and wrinkled from the harsh sun. She had pale blue eyes, just like Elena.

"Hello, Avatar Elena. You called for me?" Guru Oraefo smiled, revealing perfect teeth. Elena was slightly surprised that Guru Oraefo knew her name, but she did not question it.

"My friend is dying. Katelynn said that I should come and find you to teach me something..." Elena suddenly realized how little she knew. She didn't even know why Katelynn had sent her into the desert.

"Yes, Blaize will die soon if his spine is not fixed." Guru Oraefo nodded somberly. "But I cannot teach you what Katelynn wants me to teach you. Tell her that now is not the time." Elena felt puzzled, since no one had even mentioned what exactly Guru Oraefo was supposed to teach her. She was also disappointed, since she had come all this way to find out how to save Blaize. But Guru Oraefo addressed this, "But do not fear. I have another way you can heal your firebender friend." She gestured for Elena to follow and walked behind the rock and disappeared.

"Guru Oraefo?" Elena called out, confused. The guru had simply disappeared out of sight. Elena ran around the rock three times, looking for a secret entrance of some sort. Just as she began to walk around for the fourth time, a hand stretched out and pulled the back of her shirt, jerking her backwards. She yelped as her Republic City t-shirt scraped her neck, leaving a small but painful burn mark.

"The rock is an illusion, there is a hole in the rock that only the Avatar and I know about." Guru Oraefo explained. "Any Avatar from any generation has made the trip here at least once." The old woman, who was surprisingly strong, walked down some black steps at a brisk pace, leaving Elena to massage her neck and run after her.

The stairs descended deep into the earth, far from the heat of the surface of the desert. With each step, Elena got colder and colder. Before too long, Elena felt like she was back in the Northern Water Tribe. Her breath came out in puffs of steam, and she shivered constantly. Guru Oraefo just kept going down the stairs, untouched by the cold. Elena kept climbing down. Her legs were beginning to burn.

Before long, Elena started to get warmer again as the dark stairs finally began to light up again. Guru Oraefo wasn't even out of breath, and yet Elena was panting just to keep up her pace and reach their destination. Guru Oraefo was extremely strong, considering her age and size. Elena felt the brief need to exercise and become fit before her laziness dismissed the idea.

Finally, the dark black stairs opened up into a large chamber that was glowing because of a lava pool bubbling slowly at the far end. The heat that was radiating from the molten material made Elena feel warm and sleepy. There was a large flat rock on one end covered in wool, most likely Guru Oraefo's bed. That was the only part of the chasm that seemed personalized at all. There were crystals of many colors growing around the darker corners of the cave, while many plants grew as well. Elena noticed water dripping from the ceiling, which was probably the reason that the plants were able to survive. There was also a natural spring that flowed in one corner of the cave, surrounded by reeds. The dirt floor was strangely moist and full of nutrients. The cavern was unnatural, it seemed too suited for life, and yet Elena could tell that it was most definitely not manmade.

"Welcome to my humble abode." Guru sat down on the dirt next to a patch of beautiful flowers that were literally shining like the moon. Elena had only seen them in pictures; she had learned about them once in her botany classes, but she didn't remember anything she had learned about them.

"What are those?" Elena asked as she sat down on the floor as well, careful not to squish any plants.

"These are Hylocereus flowers." Guru Oraefo stroked the petals of one of the white flowers. "They can heal virtually any wound, and they can also heal the problematic things that people are born with, such as defects or blindness." Elena nodded.

"So they can heal Blaize. Can I please take some back to my camp?" Elena asked politely and patiently, even though on the inside she felt desperate and anxious.

"I would most definitely agree, but the problem is that these blooms may die on the trip. With a problem so serious as a broken spine, which involves nerves, muscles, and bone, you would probably need fresh flowers." Guru Oraefo sighed.

"So it would be useless - a waste - to try and bring flowers back to Republic City?" Elena asked helplessly. What were they going to do? Without the flowers, Blaize would surely die. And if he just so happened to survive, he'd be crippled for the rest of his life. A single tear dripped down Elena's face. Even though Blaize and her had gotten into a fight, she still had admired his ferocity and independent attitude. He didn't deserve to life a half-life. Guru Oraefo nodded forlornly, thought for a few seconds, and then spoke:

"The only possible way to save Blaize is to bring him back to Si Wong Rock."


	16. The Paralyzation

Blaize stroked Mavi's hair as she began crying once more. Sorella paid no mind, she was in deep thought, probably trying to figure out what to do with Blaize. She was sitting curled up in the corner of the tent, staring at the ground with intense dark eyes.

What Mavi had said had truly pierced his heart. It had shown him how much the accident had impacted her, and how much she really cared. Blaize felt grateful, yet guilty at the same time. He was helpless, laying on the floor, unable to feel his legs. All he could do for his girlfriend now was stroke her hair and murmur soft words in her ear.

"I'm sorry, Mavi." Blaize's voice cracked slightly as tears filled his eyes. Mavi jerked her head up. Tears were no longer flowing down her rosy cheeks. Her mouth was round in an O shape, and her beautiful blue eyes were wide.

"Sorry for what? If anything, I should be sorry!" Mavi hugged Blaize, hurting his ribs. He grunted slightly and she let go quickly. "Did I hurt your legs?"

"I can't feel my legs." Blaize joked. "It's my ribs that hurt." Mavi sighed and reached forward unintentionally to brush his hair before remembering that it was gone. She settled for stroking his cheek.

"I'm sorry for holding a grudge against you, I was so angry that I didn't watch where I was going and then I just got hit by that car." Blaize frowned slightly. "I've caused so much trouble."

"Blaize, I know you're a troublemaker, but it's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault." Mavi laid back down next to Blaize, her luscious short hair fanning out under her head.

"Well it is that driver's fault." Blaize chuckled slightly, wincing as a pain shot along his ribcage.

"I swear if we ever find that driver I'm going to personally break his spine." Mavi muttered furiously. Blaize smiled wistfully at her ferocity. He wished he could hug her and hold her in her arms forever, but as of now, he couldn't even sit up.

Katelynn walked in, deep in thought as she sat down next to the couple. Sorella paid her no mind, as she was still thinking in the corner as well. Luckily, Mavi's tent was big enough for a lot of people to be in at one time. The two older ones sat in silence, while Mavi and Blaize simply stared into each others eyes, cherishing each moment they had.

"Since Blaize has a broken spine, he won't be able to walk. He should sit up, or else sickness will gather easily in his lungs and he will die." Sorella finally spoke out as her eyes refocused. "I have dealt with broken spines before..." Her voice died out as she left the obvious unspoken. It was obvious that all the broken spines Sorella had dealt with before had resulted in death. Sorella and Mavi helped Blaize sit up and leaned him against the back of the red tent. It was a strange sensation, being able to see his legs and yet not feel them as they dragged across the floor.

"Mavi," Blaize whispered. Mavi looked at him expectantly, prepared to do anything for him. "Can you cover my legs? I don't want to look at them." Mavi's eyes filled with pain as she nodded. She grabbed a warm blanket and pulled them over his legs, covering up the two large stitches on his thighs. When she came up to his waist, she stopped and looked up. Her eyes were so worried. She looked a thousand years older than just fifteen. Blaize leaned forward and kissed her, tender and sweet.

"I have sent Elena to find a guru in the Si Wong Desert. She will find a way to save Blaize from being crippled or worse." Katelynn spoke up when the two pulled apart. Mavi sat right next to Blaize, refusing to leave his side. She was steady and warm against him.

"But will she find anything?" Sorella asked. She pulled the blanket off of Blaize and cleaned up the stitches before replacing the blanket into its position over Blaize's leg. Disappointed, Blaize couldn't feel the towel rubbing over his wounds.

"She's the Avatar. If anyone can fix me, it's her." Blaize sighed. To his amazement, his voice sounded utterly defeated, like the voice of a man who had accepted death. Mavi noticed this as well, with alarm, and she wrapped her arms around him protectively even though she was shorter than him. Warmth filled his heart as Mavi kept her arms around him.

"I suppose so." Sorella shrugged doubtfully. She checked on Blaize's other wounds, moving his shoulder around, poking his ribs, which made him wince, cleaning his lower back cut, which hurt but Blaize endured, and rubbing his bald head. His baldness still made him feel very uncomfortable. He felt shallow for admitting this to himself, but not having hair made him feel even more awkward than his wounds. He realized that Mavi was looking at him intensely.

"Can you make Blaize's hair grow back?" Mavi asked quietly. It was like she could read Blaize's mind or something. She understood him so well that Blaize just felt more in love than ever, his heart soaring with all the wonderful feelings he had for Mavi.

Sorella and Katelynn both looked up inquisitively, confused. But Sorella shrugged again, but this time with a little understanding smile. "I'll see what I can do. Blaize's skull is completely healed anyways, so it'll be okay."

As Sorella came up to Blaize's other side and began poking his hair, Maria walked into the vast tent as well.

"Hey Blaize, how are you?" She asked cheerfully. Momo came in afterwards, in her human form. She looked very solemn and quiet.

"I'm doing great." Blaize answered awkwardly. He tried to look as normal as possible with a waterbender hanging over his head and his girlfriend hanging on his arm.

"Are you trying to grow back your hair?" Momo asked teasingly. "I think you look cute, like one of the monks at our air temple. Just without the tattoo."

"Hey, why don't you have a tattoo either?" Blaize retorted. Momo's eyes widened at this accusation.

"Are you saying I'm not an airbender?" Momo snarled in a sarcastic and mocking tone. "It's because I'm Elena's animal companion." Momo shrunk down, her body parts transforming. Her white hair turned into two large ears. She became... a winged lemur. Blaize's jaw dropped as Momo flew around the tent, her white tail waving around behind her.

"What?" Katelynn muttered uncomfortably. Blaize looked down at Mavi. She wasn't surprised at all.

"You knew Momo was a lemur?" Blaize whispered to Mavi. She looked up, her eyes twinkling with laughter.

"I found their sky bison, and Momo was there in lemur form." Mavi admitted, slightly embarrassed. Blaize assumed with a wry smile that Mavi had probably thought the sky bison was an evil monster and tried to attack him or something.

"Yeah, I'm a lemur, it's no big deal." Momo looked at her nails, acting uninterested and cool as she returned to human form. She shrugged... and two wings appeared from behind her.

"What the heck, you can fly?" Katelynn gasped. "In human form?"

"Lucky little girl." Blaize muttered. If he could fly, he wouldn't need his useless paralyzed legs anyways...

"Where's Elena?" Mer asked as she and Sao walked in the tent, making the tent slightly crowded. They sat down across from Mavi and Blaize, near the entrance.

"How are you Blaize?" Sao asked, looking slightly concerned when he saw Sorella and Mavi next to him.

"Still half paralyzed." Blaize shrugged. "I'm okay though."

"I sent Elena to find a guru that might help her learn how to heal Blaize." Katelynn answered Mer. Mer nodded without question.

"I got it!" Sorella shouted out in announcement quite suddenly, making everyone jump.

"Got what?" Mer asked with wide eyes. "Can you fix his spine?"

"Er... no." Sorella answered her sister awkwardly. "I can make his hair grow back." Mer laughed, shaking her head exasperatingly. Sao smiled as he held Mer in his strong arms.

"Better than nothing." Maria nodded with a grin. Everyone in the tent quieted down and watched as Sorella waved her arms dramatically with closed eyes.

"You want your hair like it was before I cut it off?" Sorella asked in an overly dramatic voice, her eyes still closed. Blaize nodded. He wanted at least one thing back to normal.

"Wait! Sorella, are you going to use that... special skill?" Mer blurted out with wide eyes as she came to a sudden realization.

"Yes I am." Sorella answered as she opened one eye.

"Will it hurt him?" Mer whispered. Blaize had no idea what was going on.

"Of course not, I wouldn't risk injuring him just to grow back his hair." Sorella scoffed before returning to her original dramatic position. Mer nodded, relieved, and sat back down next to Sao, who looked at her inquisitively. Mer just shook her head and said something, which made Sao nod.

"Let us commence!" Sorella shouted. The tent suddenly filled with a bright light. Blaize's scalp tingled, and Mavi was looking on in interest. Before long, Blaize sighed as his red hair reentered his line of sight.

"I have my hair!" Blaize cheered as he brushed his hair out of his eyes, just like old times. "Oh hair, how I missed you!"

Everyone in the tent clapped and laughed. It was nice to have a stress reliever after the car crash. Mavi sighed in a puff of breath, relieved. She stroked his hair affectionately.

"I missed your hair too." Mavi smiled as she kept running her fingers through his hair.

"And I've missed having you stroke my hair." Blaize smiled. He spotted a little smile on Mavi's lips as well, right before he kissed her.

"Sometimes I feel like they never stop kissing." Mer commented awkwardly. She suddenly shut up, and when Blaize looked up, he saw that Sao had kissed Mer as well.

"Well I feel lonely." Maria sighed.

"I really need to find another lemur." Momo agreed. "Or a human."

"Tell me about it." Sorella lamented as she laid down on the floor.

"I'm married." Katelynn piped up. Blaize and Mavi broke apart with wide eyes as they stared at Katelynn.

"What?!" Mavi gasped. Blaize's mind went blank. Katelynn was seventeen, she couldn't be married!

"I'm kidding!" Katelynn laughed. "I just said that to get everyone to stop kissing and look, I succeeded!" Mer and Sao were staring blankly at Katelynn. Mavi burst out laughing, and Blaize started chuckling. Before too long, the tent was full of laughter. Even Blaize was laughing, but he couldn't really do much since his ribs hurt.

"Here, let me try to heal that some more," Sorella offered with a smile when she noticed Blaize wincing. Mavi noticed and moved away to make room for Sorella. Blaize nodded gratefully as she bended water out of her waterskin and pressed it against his ribs. This kind of pressure didn't hurt. Instead, it felt wonderfully soothing. The tent was filled with a soft blue glow and the pain in Blaize's side went away. "I think it's fully healed now." Sorella gestured for Blaize to test it out. He made to stand up to stretch out his side before flopping down on the floor. The whole tent fell dead silent.

"I'm crippled, I remember now," Blaize whispered as tears filled his eyes. His head hung low as tears began to drip out out his hazel eyes.

"Blaize!" Mavi wailed. His pain was her pain. She hugged him tight, and this time, to his slight relief, he felt no pain in his ribs. "Don't cry, I promise I'll fix this." Silent tears were streaming down Mavi's beautiful face.

Blaize could hear everyone else slowly filing out of the tent, leaving Mavi and Blaize alone. He was sobbing uncontrollably as he kept trying to move his legs. After many hours, Blaize felt utterly dried out and spent. He closed his swollen eyes and rested his head on Mavi's shoulder and fell asleep.

When Blaize woke up, he was still sitting with his head resting on Mavi's shoulder. She had not moved one centimeter, and Blaize could feel the stiffness in her muscles.

"Mavi? Did you stay like that just for me?" Blaize asked. His voice croaked.

"Oh hello, Blaize," Mavi whispered with a loving voice as she shifted her position. Blaize could almost hear her bones creaking and her muscles pulling. They had stayed in the same uncomfortable pose for too long. "Are you okay?" Blaize looked up at Mavi. Her eyes were slightly puffy, but she was still the most beautiful girl in the world.

"The more important question is are you okay?" Blaize stroked Mavi's messy hair tenderly. "You could have just woken me up to get more comfortable."

Mavi shook her head as she stretched slowly. "I didn't want to wake you before you woke up yourself." Blaize's heart soared at the care and dedication Mavi had shown to him. "I don't mind sitting like that for a long time, as long as you're comfortable."

He stared at her for a long moment before grinning and saying, "Come here."

Blaize threw his arms around Mavi's waist and pulled her close, kissing her. She slipped her arms around his neck and straddled his dead legs, leaning up on her knees so that she was slightly taller than him.

This kiss was different than all the other ones. This time, there was nothing to distract them, no guilt or shame of parents or duty to plague the locked lips, tongues dancing ferociously, as if battling to see who could force who to surrender first. Mavi tilted Blaize's chin up, and he could feel her tongue slipping away from his own to graze over his lips. He smiled slightly, realizing that his girlfriend was ready to take it to the next level.

Blaize pulled Mavi's bottom lip between his teeth as his hands traveled along her graceful curves, testing the dip of her hips and the flat plains of her belly. Mavi, in turn, slid her hands up under his shirt, tracing her fingers along his spine and sending electric shivers throughout his body. As their groping and kissing continued, Blaize was sure he heard the seams of his shirt rip, but ignored it as the heat from their passion turned the tent into an inferno.

Mavi pulled away the remains of Blaize's shirt and let her lips brush along his jaw and then his neck. She planted kisses along the junction of his neck and shoulder, feeling his hands continue their exploring over her body.

Suddenly, Blaize heard the tent flap open and a stifled shriek. Mavi tore her sweet lips from Blaize's neck as she whipped her head around at the interruption. It was Sorella.

"Sorry, I'm sorry!" Sorella backed away out of the tent, half covering her eyes. "I was just going to check on Blaize's wounds!" Blaize could see in the dim light of the setting sun that Sorella was blushing furiously. Mavi rolled off of Blaize, also slightly embarrassed.

"Please, if you need to check on Blaize, do it." Mavi sat herself next to Blaize and began fiddling with a piece of fabric that was hanging from the edge of his torn shirt. Sorella nodded and walked back into the dark tent, taking slow steps. The tension in the air was palpable. Blaize could feel Sorella awkwardly checking on all of his wounds. This time, she also tested his spine. Blaize could feel her hand gently sliding down his spine, but it didn't feel the same as when Mavi had done it. Blaize felt extremely disappointed when suddenly, he could no longer feel Sorella's hand. That must be where the break occurred.

"I feel an indent here, is that where you stop feeling my hand?" Sorella asked. She was no longer the awkward girl who had walked in on two lovers. She was back into the serious duty of being a healer. Blaize nodded dejectedly. "Well everything seems to be healing well, I'll be back to check on you later." Sorella nodded before walking out of the tent. Blaize could tell she was glad to leave the tent, away from the uneasy stares from the two lovers that were interrupted.

"No privacy, huh?" Mavi muttered once the tent flap closed shut. She was focusing intently on her twiddling fingers.

"I guess not." Blaize sighed. He wished that Sorella hadn't interrupted. He wanted to continue as if Sorella had never walked in, but he could tell that the moment had passed. He looked over at Mavi longingly. If only his legs hadn't gotten in the way! Blaize slammed his head against the back of the tent in frustration, wishing that he wasn't just some old cripple that could never live the life that Mavi wanted. Mavi looked up at Blaize as he laid his head against the tent, disappointed, defeated.

"I know what will make you feel better. Firebending!" Mavi smiled as she lit up a flickering blue flame at the tip of her finger that matched her eyes. Blaize looked at her as if she was crazy, but she stared back with optimistic and determined eyes. He snorted and gave in, lighting up a small orange flame on his finger. It contrasted with Mavi's flame in beautiful ways, lighting up their little corner in the tent.

"This Fire Nation tent is fireproof right?" Blaize asked suspiciously as he poked the fabric with his other hand.

"Of course, do you think the princess would have a tent that could burn up?" Mavi grinned mischievously. She brushed her flame against the wall of the tent, but it didn't catch fire. Blaize nodded and let his flame go out as he concentrated on Mavi's voice. "Now, consider this flame as your life. You have to pour all your faith and will into the flame to give it energy." Mavi pushed slightly and the flame grew brighter and larger, lighting up more of the tent. "If you give up, baby, your flame is going to die." The tent was plunged in darkness as Mavi let her beautiful blue flame suddenly burn out.

"Um, Mavi, Blaize?" It was Katelynn, calling to them from outside the tent. Blaize could hear the apprehension in Katelynn's voice, making it obvious that she knew what Sorella had walked in on.

"Yes, you can come in," Mavi replied with a dry smile.

"Come on," Katelynn walked in and grabbed Blaize's arm gently. "Let's get him outside, I have a surprise." Mavi stood up and helped carry Blaize out. He felt so helpless, having to be carried by two girls. He couldn't even feel Mavi's familiar touch on his legs. Katelynn headed out the tent first, forcing Blaize to be unable to see whatever Katelynn had brought him out for. He was set down on the grass.

"I don't know if he'd appreciate that." Mavi had pursed lips and was in deep thought as she surveyed the thing behind Blaize. He tried to turn around to see what she was talking about, but Katelynn's legs blocked the way. "It might make him feel useless." Mavi sighed awkwardly, aware that Blaize was watching her.

"Last I checked, he was a very optimistic guy," Sao piped up. Everyone (except Elena) was standing in a circle around the "thing" that they had gotten for him. Blaize sighed and tried to look around Katelynn's legs, but she just blocked all view of anything behind him.

"He'd appreciate this better than sitting in his tent all day." Momo added in, her sweet and innocent voice sounding very confident and certain.

"And he wouldn't have to depend on us so much." Mer added in. "So, Mavi, what do you say?" Blaize looked up at his beautiful girlfriend. She narrowed her eyes for a second before nodding.

"Blaize, um, happy birthday, or something!" Maria announced happily as Mavi helped Blaize turn around. Katelynn stepped out of the way, revealing a strange contraption standing in the center of their circle of people. It was mostly metal, but it had a slim and sturdy design to it. It was one central thin and curved stick that branched into two, making it look like a stick with legs.

"No offense, it's really pretty and stuff, but what is it?" Blaize asked. Mavi snorted and hugged Blaize, laughing slightly at his naivety and cluelessness.

"How about we show you?" Maria suggested brightly. "We're gonna need everyone's help!" Everyone began crowding around Blaize, making him feel uncomfortable. He felt hands grabbing his arms, his waist, being careful to be gentle with his wounds. He could see more hands grabbing his legs, although he couldn't feel it. Several people helped him stand up, stretching his muscles in a wonderful way. Blaize didn't know he could have missed standing so much.

A few people let go of him, making him feel slightly unbalanced and unsupported, but Mavi was at his side, holding him up, making him feel strong. Momo, Maria, and Sao brought the strange contraption up to Blaize's back, adjusting it to his unique back shape, and he suddenly realized what it was.

They attached the top of the machine to his neck, and he felt a jolt of feeling pass all the way from the top of his head down to the break in his spine. They slid the two branches of the central line along his legs, and as Blaize watched, a few braces slid out and tightened around his legs. Everyone let go of him slowly, while Mavi kept holding on even when Blaize finally realized he could stand alone without anyone's support.

"Mavi... I'm standing!" Blaize felt like weeping with joy. Mavi smiled lovingly and let go of his arm. He stood alone, slightly wobbling. He felt free, like a baby lamb that had finally stood up on its own.

"Go on, take a step." Sao encouraged.

"I can walk?" Blaize asked wonderingly. What seemed like a trivial and nonsense question a few days ago now meant the world to Blaize.

"That thing at the base of your skull senses the signals in your brain and then the supporting legs will do as you want." Mer explained as she smiled widely with tears in her eyes. She gestured quietly for Blaize to take a step.

"This is the big moment, guys! Baby's first steps, feel free to take a picture." Blaize laughed. Katelynn actually brought out her camera she had bought before the pro-bending tournament and began snapping pictures. Blaize closed his eyes and breathed slowly, trying to remember what it was like to walk. It was much harder, since he couldn't feel his legs at all. It was like trying to move a limb that didn't exist. But when Blaize opened his eyes to the sound of cheering, he was walking forward.

"Look! I'm doing it!" Blaize screamed, sounding like a small girl who had gotten her favorite toy for her birthday. Blaize felt strange, seeing his legs move without feeling them, but he was walking, and that's all that mattered!

"Whoa, what's going on?" A voice sounded out from the edge of the trees, familiar. It was a voice that Blaize had not heard in what seemed like a lifetime.

"Elena!" Momo screamed out joyously as she ran into the shadows. A few seconds later, Momo was in lemur form on Elena's shoulder.

"Theo!" Maria called out as the sky bison walked into the clearing. She leaped up into the air, much higher than any other normal child could, and hung on to Theo's thick fur. He baa'd happily, rolling onto his side and playing with Maria, making the ground shake with his weight. It threw Blaize off balance and he fell over, but Mavi, who was always ever so close and watchful, caught him.

"Thanks!" Blaize gasped as he opened his eyes, which had been closed as he anticipated impact.

"Anything for you." Mavi smiled sweetly and helped him back onto his feet.

"How did you get back so quickly? I expected Guru Oraefo to have taken things slow and taught you everything." Katelynn hugged Elena in greeting.

"She sent me back. She said I wasn't ready to learn whatever it was that you sent me there for." Elena sighed, looking more annoyed than disappointed. Her hair was back down again, her long bangs covering her eerie eyes. Blaize thought back wistfully to the time when the two had fought over such a petty thing such as her vision. But his trauma, however problematic, had brought the whole group closer together. At least one positive thing had come out of this.

"Wait, so she refused to help Blaize, at all?" Mavi growled viciously, blue sparks literally flying from her fingertips. A wind picked up her beautiful hair, making her look like a ferocious woman, ready to kill anyone.

"She said she has a cure." Elena smiled brightly. Blaize nearly fell over again. He could be cured! He could walk again without a machine strapped to his back. He could feel his legs again!

"Sh - she does?" Mavi stuttered as all the fight and anger flowed out of her, replaced by surprise and wonder.

"So, where is it?" Mer asked excitedly.

"Is it something simple? What can I learn from this?" Sorella asked, a gleam in her eye, a hunger for knowledge.

"Um, I don't have it," Elena murmured. Blaize's heart sank deep into the ground. If he couldn't get his hands on a cure, he might as well die. But he thought back to Mavi, talking about how his life was like a flame. He had to stay strong, not only for himself, but for Mavi, and his friends as well. Just as Blaize made up his mind that he would survive, even if it was with a crippled spine, Elena spoke up again, this time nearly shouting over all the indignant retorts that her friends were throwing at her. "Guru Oraefo is at Si Wong Rock! She has the cure, the Hylocereus Flower! We just need to take Blaize there!"

Blaize's heart soared once more. He had no idea what a Hylocereus Flower was, but it was his personal savior, hiding in a rock in the middle of the desert. The whole clearing hushed as all of his friends shut up and began to digest this news.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Sao shouted. Everyone shouted back in agreement, all worked up in a frenzy. Mer jumped up and kissed Sao before pulling him over to their blue tent. Maria and Momo headed off to the airbenders tent, popping their fingers, ready to pack. Katelynn and Sorella headed off into the woods, discussing intently about Hylocereus Flowers and such things. Before too long, Mavi, Blaize, and Elena were the only ones left in the open clearing.

Mavi stood on her toes and lightly brushed her lips against Blaize's jawline, whispering, "I'll start packing. I know you'll be healed, Blaize." She grasped his hand one more time, squeezing it reassuringly, before disappearing into their tent, leaving a trace of a smile on his face.

"So, you're standing and walking around, huh? I guess I didn't need to go to Si Wong Rock after all." Elena joked. She was so much younger than Blaize, and yet she sounded like an adult already.

"Eh, I can't feel my legs. I'll be glad when I get healed." Blaize smiled as he took a few wobbly steps around the clearing until he ended up pretty close to Elena. "I'm sorry for being a jerk about your eyesight and stuff. Thanks for healing my wounds, and thanks for finding the flower that will save me." His voice was very solemn as he looked down into Elena's light eyes. She stared intensely at him, making him slightly uncomfortable. He felt like she was staring into his soul, picking apart all his failures and wrongdoings in life.

"I'm sorry too, for being so picky about when you thought I was blind." Elena smiled and hugged Blaize gently, surprising him. He wrapped his arms around her small body, feeling as if he were hugging a teddy bear of some sort. When he glanced up, he saw Mavi's blue eyes peeking out of their tent. She winked at him and disappeared. "I hope when we get there, you'll be fully healed." Elena whispered into his shirt. She let go, staying with her hands up to make sure Blaize wouldn't fall, before waving goodbye and disappearing into her tent.

Blaize wobbled his way back into the tent, where Mavi was waiting. She had already packed everything, and was sitting on the floor, facing the back of the tent.

"Mavi?" Blaize whispered as he shakily kneeled next to her. "Are you okay?"

Mavi turned around. There was the most beautiful smile lighting up her face, making Blaize's whole world shine. "I love you." Mavi hugged Blaize gently.

"I love you too." Blaize smiled as he hugged her back, bringing her into his chest.

"Just think, in a few days, it'll be just like normal." Mavi sobbed slightly, overwhelmed with her happiness. Blaize felt a tear slide down his cheek and drip into Mavi's hair.

"Yeah, yeah it will be."


	17. The Flight

"Right, so Elena took, what, one day to get to Si Wong Rock?" Sao calculated as he shoved his clothes into a bag. Mer had already finished packing her stuff and was waiting patiently, standing in the corner of the tent.

"So, what?" Mer asked absentmindedly. She was too busy imagining alone time with Sao. She had heard from her sister what Mavi and Blaize had done. What if she and Sao did that too? Her insides twisted with longing and embarrassment at the thought. Maybe not quite yet.

"So, she was flying on Theo! Alone! We have Dune, Lux, Theo, and Eau. And Eau can't even fly. We won't make it in time!" Sao sighed. Mer was snapped out of her daydreams, slightly surprised at how stressed Sao sounded. She walked up to him and gently stopped him from angrily shoving his clothes into his bag.

"Sao, what's wrong? You're talking like Blaize might die tomorrow." Mer pulled Sao away from his things and held Sao's angular face in her palms. Her eyes darted around his face, searching for a sign of why Sao was so impatient.

"I don't know." Sao sighed and abruptly sat down on the floor, causing Mer to trip and fall into his lap. Sao laughed slightly as he brushed Mer's white hair out of her blushing face, caressing her smooth cheek.

"Whoops, sorry." Mer smiled as Sao bent down and kissed her. They stayed like that for a few seconds before Sao straightened. Mer brushed her hand across his shoulder as she got up and began packing for him.

"It's just that my dad died because of a broken spine." Sao whispered after a long silence. Mer stopped packing the sleeping bags, stricken. It must have been his dad that Sorella had tried to save so long ago.

"I'm so sorry." Mer crooned as she hugged Sao gently. "You're probably wishing he got the Hylocereus Flower as well." Sao nodded miserably, letting Mer hug him and hold him. After a very long time, Mer reminded herself that all her friends were nearly ready to go. She reluctantly let go of Sao and finished packing in a rush. She grabbed all the packs and ran into the other tent. This is where Eau slept. Mer felt terrible for leaving Sao for just one second, but she had to fit all the packs onto Eau's back.

In the other blue tent, the temperature was a lot warmer. Eau's body heat made Mer feel like she was sitting next to a fireplace back home. There was a lot of white fur all over the floor. Eau was shedding a lot, since he wasn't used to the warmer climates in Republic City.

"Hey Eau!" Mer called out brightly to his huge sleeping figure.

What do you want? Eau got up and stretched out his back, yawning. He shook out his pelt, releasing even more white fur all over the place.

I need to put your saddle thing on, we're going to Si Wong Rock and healing Blaize's spine! Mer proudly announced as she dumped her bags onto the fluffy floor. She walked over to the side of the tent where a saddle lay on the floor. She brushed the fur off of it and placed it on Eau's back. She could feel his lean muscles rippling under the thick layer of fur and skin. But she also felt something new and bony. "What is this?" Mer muttered to herself as she pulled the smooth thing away from Eau's back. It extended even further as Eau reluctantly let Mer pull it out to full length.

Before you say anything, I wasn't aware of these until a few hours ago. Eau said defensively. But Mer simply ignored him.

You have... wings? Since when? How? Mer pulled the wing outwards. It looked like one of Momo's wings, except ten times larger. It filled up most of the tent.

Momo probably affected me or something, I don't know. Eau smiled his wolfish grin, showing off his white teeth.

"Well I guess we have a big project for our friends before we go!" Mer announced as she dragged Eau's saddle out the tent.

What project? Eau asked as he followed her out.

"I NEED EVERYONE TO COME AND FIX THIS SADDLE TO ACCOMMODATE EAU'S NEW WINGS!" Mer shouted out to all of the camp in such a loud voice that heads popped out immediately, looking alarmed and confused.

"You scared me, Mer." Sorella snorted as she walked out. She was the only one who didn't seem surprised that Mer had shouted out about something so simple as a wolf saddle. Everyone else walked out cautiously, with Mavi helping Blaize out of their fiery tent.

"Right, so, who has any experience with saddle-fixing?" Mer asked as everyone stared at her curiously at the entrance to their tent.

"Uh, I do." Sao offered as he came up from behind Mer. "But why?"

"Yes, why call us out for such a thing?" Katelynn asked sarcastically in a monotone voice. She was holding up one of her shirts, as if to say that she was packing.

"Right, important announcement! Eau has wings!" Mer gestured fancily to her wolf, who stepped forward, slightly confused. "Eau, show your wings, dude."

Fine, Eau snorted as he spread out his wings. Out in the open, his wings seemed even larger than normal. They extended from his shoulders, angular and pure white. They looked quite angelic and beautiful. Everyone's eyes were wide in awe and astonishment, with their mouths gaping open.

"What the heck?" Maria muttered. She was sitting on top of Theo's head, hanging on to one of his horns. He baa'd as he saw Eau's wings.

"Hey, you're just like me!" Momo jumped forward, pulling her minty white wings forward. They matched with Eau's like a lovely pair of divine wings. Mer stepped back and admired the sight of Momo flying around Eau's huge wings.

You should try flying. Mer suggested as Eau looked up at Momo with a lonely gleam in his blue eyes. Eau turned to her with a questioning look in his eyes.

What if I can't? Eau asked with a disappointed tone to his voice.

You'll never know until you try. Mer smiled encouragingly. Eau nodded and shook his pelt once more, covering the people nearest to him with white fur. He leaned back, crouching as if he were about to pounce on his prey. His wings stuck out at a graceful angle, prepared to capture the wind underneath and pull him forward and up. Mer could feel his muscles rippling under his fur. He leaped forward into the air, jumping as high and as far as possible. With his legs extended out, his wings automatically took over, pushing down. A blast of wind from Eau's wings buffeted everyone, causing them to take a few steps back. The huge wolf hovered in the air for a few seconds, getting used to the sensation of flight. His legs hung down useless in the air, dangling like four dead white snakes that were waving in the wind. Then, Eau pushed his wings down harder than normal and he rose into the air.

Okay, showoff, we need to fix your saddle now, so come down. Mer said sarcastically as Eau began to show off, flying around the air. He landed clumsily, almost knocking down a few tents and leaving a dent in the grassy floor.

"Right, so, saddle-fixing!" Sao walked up to the unbalanced wolf and put on the saddle, calculating things within his head. After a few moments, he placed the saddle back on the floor. He pulled out a waterskin from a bag and bended the clear water out of it. Mer watched in interest as Sao bended the water into a slight crescent shape. In one fluid movement, he raked it across the saddle's side, cutting off a thick piece of leather. Since he had used a curved edge, the leather still looked smooth. He repeated the process with the other side, then bended the water back into the waterskin and placed the saddle back on Eau's back. Now that it had grooves for Eau's wings, it fit perfectly once more.

"Why use water?" Elena asked suddenly out of the blue. Both Sao and Mer looked up, surprised. They had been too immersed in each other's presence to notice or even remember that their friends were watching as well.

"With water, you can bend it so that it curves. When you cut the leather, it won't create two sharp angles." Sao explained.

"I would've never thought of that." Mer admitted. She leaned sideways slightly and almost fell over. She hadn't realized how much she leaned on Sao until he wasn't there. Mer walked over next to him and latched onto his arm. He leaned against her, and she put her weight on him. They sort of propped each other up. It was like one couldn't stand without the other.

"Cool. So is everyone packed? We need to go." Elena smiled. She looked over everyone's animal companions. Mer admired her leadership skills, even though she was only twelve. Elena was already acting like an adult. "What about you, Blaize? Can you ride Dune?" Blaize hesitated, looking over at his dragon. His dragon had a few packs on his saddle, and he was waiting patiently. They exchanged a few silent thoughts.

"Maybe Sorella should ride with me." Blaize admitted.

"Yes, she could take care of you if you have any problems. Besides, three people might be too much for Eau, since he hasn't ever flown before and his wings may not be strong enough." Elena nodded. She looked over at Sorella, who nodded, approving of her reasoning. Everyone in the clearing was slightly astonished by Elena's sudden change in character.

"Is it just me or does it sound like Elena aged fifteen years when she was in Si Wong Rock?" Mer whispered to Sao. His eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"That place is special." Sao concluded after a few seconds. "I know Blaize will be healed there." His faith shone in his clear blue eyes as he looked at Blaize's paralyzation machine intensely. There was a certain kind of sadness in his eyes, and it took Mer a moment to figure it out.

"You feel bad because you couldn't heal him!" Mer exclaimed in revelation. She finally understood why Sao had felt so miserable these past few days, and why he had been so overly optimistic and bright towards Blaize. Sao looked away in shame. All he had done was fetch water. He had probably felt useless. "Without you, we wouldn't have been able to heal him at all." Mer squeezed Sao's hand reassuringly.

"Don't try and make me feel better, you could have bended the water from the ground and the trees, you didn't need me." Sao looked to the other side, sliding his hand out of Mer's grip. She felt slightly hurt, and her hand fell down pointlessly to her side, but she knew Sao was only acting like this because of his self disappointment.

"Well, we're about to leave, come on." Mer began walking to Eau, but when she looked back, Sao was still standing there. His muscular figure was outlined sharply by the rising sun. "Sao, you know I'm going to teach you healing on the way, right?" Mer added casually as she leaned against Eau's leg. At this, Sao turned around abruptly. His eyes were so hopeful, so beautiful. He ran to her and picked her up, kissing her, whirling her around in a wide circle. After a few seconds of bliss, Sao tossed Mer up and onto Eau's back. The wind rushed through her white hair as she tilted her body so that she would land squarely on Eau's saddle, with a surprised look in her eyes. "Wow, I landed!"

"Great job." Sao smiled as he jumped up gracefully and landed right behind Mer. He wrapped his arms around her thin waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. He lightly kissed her neck, tickling her.

"Everyone ready?" Elena called out. She was sitting next to her best friend on top of Theo's head. Momo was resting on her shoulder. Elena was holding out a map and a compass, looking very much like a wonderful leader of a travelling group. All around them, their camp had been cleaned up. The tents had been shoved messily into a bag, and all remains of their campfire had been swept away. Sorella and Blaize were sitting together on Dune's back, with Sorella behind Blaize to watch over him. Katelynn was with Mavi on Lux's back. Mavi looked strangely uncomfortable, and Blaize was gazing at her, concerned. Katelynn was also looking slightly uncomfortable. "Is there something wrong, Mavi?" Elena called out. She jumped off of Theo's head, leaving her map and compass precariously balanced. Just before she landed, she bended the air beneath her and caught herself. She jogged over to Mavi. They had a whispered discussion, and Elena nodded. "Change of plan, guys! Mavi has Lux's phoenix egg, and it's about to hatch, so let's wait a few minutes!"

Mavi looked at Elena gratefully, but then turned her head sharply to Blaize. Obviously, she was extremely distressed at the fact of delaying his plans to heal his spine. Mer jumped down, with Sao following closely.

"A phoenix egg, and they never told us!" Mer speculated as Sao came up beside her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and she leaned against him.

"They didn't exactly get a chance to tell us, though." Sao shrugged. He was still dwelling over Blaize's accident.

"Well, don't worry, Sao." Mer smiled and leaned up to kiss him gently, bringing a smile to his face. "Come on, let's go see the new baby." Mer grabbed Sao's hand and pulled him forward to the circle of people that had gathered around Mavi and Blaize. There was a beautiful egg with such realistic flame designs that it was almost like the egg was engulfed in a real and flickering blaze. A wide crack marred one side of the egg.

"It's coming, Blaize." Mavi whispered as she held onto Blaize's hand. Mer noticed that Mavi's knuckles were white with the effort in which she was gripping Blaize's hand. Behind them stood Lux. She was gazing intently at her egg, as if she was willing it to hatch, to survive.

Beside the firebender couple was an open book full of old and slightly ruffled pages. It was open to a particular page that had a picture of a hand drawn egg that looked very similar to the one that was sitting in front of everyone. It was probably instructions on what to do once the phoenix was born.

"Should we name her?" Blaize asked quietly. Everyone was staring at the egg intently as another small crack appeared. Mavi shrugged and looked up at Lux. Blaize looked up at Dune. They must be the parents.

"A dragon and a phoenix...?" Mer asked Sao in a low and quiet voice. She looked up at him with a smirk on her face.

"I don't know," Sao shrugged awkwardly with a cute little smile. He held Mer close as they continued to watch. Another crack appeared on the egg, and this time, the egg shivered slightly.

"Lux said we should name her baby." Mavi murmured to Blaize.

"Dune said the same thing," Blaize nodded. "Since all phoenixes are girls... You should name her." Blaize kissed Mavi's forehead and she closed her eyes.

The clearing was left in silence as Mavi thought of possible names. The only sound that resonated through the trees was the occasional cracking of the egg's shell.

"Aphrodite." Mavi decided. Lux cooed slightly in approval, and Dune emitted a low rumbling sound from his throat that sounded like a deep purr.

"It's beautiful." Mer said encouragingly. Everyone else murmured in agreement.

"Wait, guys, I think it's finally coming out." Blaize whispered. Everyone fell silent, and the air was thick with anticipation. One last final crack appeared on the egg, and this time, a sound echoed through the trees. Light filtered through the crack in the egg, and everyone held their breath in anticipation. Mavi got onto her knees in preparation. She had two bags of different herbs laying beside her. She glanced up at the sun as the top of the egg began to rise. The phoenix was coming out. Strangely enough, even though it was obvious that the bird was struggling to get out, it wasn't making a single sound. Mavi took pity on the bird and was about to gently lift the egg shell off, but Lux gave out a warning squawk, stopping Mavi's hand. Aphrodite would have to do it alone. Mavi nodded and backed off. This was a matter of survival - survival of the fittest. If Aphrodite couldn't make it out of the egg, she didn't deserve to live, to be fed by Mavi.

Everyone was quiet, staring at the egg. They were willing the baby to survive. It was a traumatic and long experience for everyone. Mer sat down quietly after an hour of standing, and Sao was quick to follow, sitting next to her and holding her. Everyone else was glad to rest their legs, and they sat down too as they watched the shell top wiggle around. The bird still didn't cry out, though. It seemed like Mavi and Lux were having a grave conversation, and Dune and Blaize as well. No one dared to speak out and break the silence.

The sun is setting, and the baby's attempts are getting weaker. Eau observed sadly. He was sitting behind Mer with his large head hanging low. His large eyes were glazed with sadness and pain. Everyone had noticed that the shell was moving less. The baby was dying.

When the night came upon the group, Blaize and Mavi lit a small, warm flame. After what seemed like decades, Blaize decided to say something. His voice was hoarse with disuse, but what he said was still clear. "Check the book." Mavi nodded and began to flip through the large book, filling the clearing with the sound of rustling paper. After a few seconds, she stopped flipping and cleared her throat, grabbing everyone's attention.

"When the baby's attempts get feebler, there is a less likely chance for it to survive. Right before death, it will shriek. As it dies the egg will burst into flame and burn to ashes within seconds." Mavi read out. Her voice cracked a few times, and Blaize scooted over with difficulty to wrap his arms around her and comfort her. The egg's movements continued to diminish. Mer could feel Sao looking at her, wondering if she was alright. She looked up at him, holding his gaze. She felt like she could see into his soul, and that his piercing blue eyes were looking into hers.

"It's okay," Mer whispered. She gently touched Sao's jawline, tracing it with a tender touch. Suddenly, a screech rang out from the egg, and Mer whipped her head around. Everyone was staring at the egg in disbelief and terror. The words Mavi had read out from her book reverberated around Mer's mind. "Right before death, it will shriek." A solemn tear slid down Mer's cheek as the egg burst into flame.

"She's dead," Mavi gasped as she embraced Blaize, shoving her face into his shoulder to muffle her sobs. Everyone around the egg, which had now burned itself out, looked stricken. The wind in the breezy night picked up the remaining ashes and scattered them throughout the grass. Mer felt a chaos of emotions whirling around her mind, and from the looks of her friends, she could see that they felt the same way. Everyone felt so full of grief and doubt within themselves, but on the outside, they were dead silent, frozen.

After an eternity of silence, Lux screeched out in pain. Her baby was dead, her baby was gone from the world forever. Lux's scream was so full of emotion, and yet it wasn't the same kind of bloodcurdling scream that her offspring had emitted. Her scream was full of music and a beautiful kind of grief. Her scream was the doorway, and when that doorway opened, it allowed everyone else in the clearing to let go of their grief. Tears were shed over the little life that had burned out before their lives. No one had ever gotten to know Aphrodite, and yet everyone was crying over her fiery death. She was too weak to survive, and yet everyone had wished that they could have helped her live no matter what. Mer, however, only quietly released her sadness. She couldn't understand why everyone was wailing and crying. No one had any emotional attachment to the phoenix baby, except for maybe Mavi, Blaize, Katelynn, Lux, and Dune. They were wasting time to grieve over a bird that had never even been fully born. As Mer looked over at Elena, she noticed that the Avatar wasn't crying much either. She was just staring blankly at the ashes littering the floor and comforting her friends.

She must either be a strong leader to not cry, or she's like me, and she doesn't see the point in crying, Mer commented to Eau. He was the only other one that wasn't crying or wailing. He was probably the only one that understood Mer. Many others would think that she was just lacking in emotion and love, but on the other hand, Mer liked to rely more on logic and reasoning. She was different, just like Elena. Perhaps they were the two that were meant to keep the group together and lead them through the times in which emotion swept the others away. Mer hugged Sao's broad shoulders as he sobbed quietly into his hands.

She's probably both, Eau replied wisely, echoing Mer's thoughts.

"It's okay, Sao, Aphrodite is in a better place now." Mer tussled Sao's hair gently as she kept whispering soothing things to him. She wasn't really acquainted with the idea of comforting sad people, but she was trying as hard as she could. Mer looked up and caught Elena's eye. They nodded to each other, sharing a single mission, and slowly started to put up the tents again and getting everyone back into their tents. They left Blaize and Mavi alone in the clearing with their animal companions to grieve in peace. After everyone was finally settling down with a few sniffles, Elena met up with Mer behind her tent.

"We have to get moving tomorrow, I don't think Guru Oraefo is willing to wait too long for Blaize, and he needs to be healed as soon as possible." Elena whispered urgently. The moon was already high in the sky.

"Yes, I think they can sleep on the way there if they have to." Mer agreed briskly in reply. She glanced back over to the firebenders, who were still sitting quietly next to the small pile of ashes. A pang of pity pierced Mer's heart, but she knew that it was for the best. If Mavi had to take constant and consistent care of a baby would be way too stressful and hectic for the trip. Mavi had to focus on her boyfriend, who needed her.

"We'll have to wake up early and prepare everything, then wake up everyone and get on our way. We can watch over them in case they want to keep sleeping," Elena decided. "So we should sleep now."

Mer nodded in agreement. "Goodnight, Elena." Mer began to walk away as Elena returned the farewell.

"Goodnight, Mer," Elena called out. "Oh, and Mer?" Mer turned around expectantly. "Thanks for helping me be a leader and stuff."

"Oh, no problem!" Mer hugged Elena and waved goodbye. She entered her tent and a wave of sleepiness crashed over her. She flopped down into her sleeping bag, right next to Sao's warm figure. He turned around sleepily and hugged her shivering figure, and together, they fell asleep.

The next early dawn, Elena walked into their blue tent and shook Mer up. She blinked away her tiredness and slid out of Sao's embrace. She quietly exited the tent.

"So, everyone's already technically packed," Mer whispered as they reached the burnt out fireplace. There was something sticking out of the ground. Mer and Elena kneeled beside it to see what it was, and Mer read it out. "R.I.P. Aphrodite."

"Poor Blaize and Mavi," Elena fretted. She ran into her tent and brought out Theo. All the packs were ready on his saddle. Mer nodded and quietly got out Eau, who simply laid down in the clearing and fell asleep again. Mer grabbed all the packs and tied them to Eau's saddle as he snored away. Then, Elena and Mer both got out the still depressed and quiet Lux and Dune. Lux's feathers were already looking duller and faded, while Dune's head still hung low.

"I'm sorry, but we have to go to save the one that's still alive," Mer lightly brushed back Lux's plumage as she whispered to the beautiful bird. Dune nodded and waited with his mate in the clearing as Mer and Elena grabbed the firebenders' packs and attached them to the saddles.

"So, should we wake them, or just use some bending powers and put them on their animal companions and start flying?" Elena suggested with a playful glint in her eerie eyes. Mer accepted the challenge that Elena was offering up.

"Let's do it!" Mer and Elena ran off into the tents and started carefully bending the limp bodies through the air. The animal companions were laughing in amusement as they saw their human companions floating around in the air. Elena's were floating as if some invisible force were propping them up, but in reality, she was airbending. Mer, however, wasn't lucky enough to be an airbender, so her people were floating atop of little beds of water. Mer didn't allow any of the water to seep into the people's shirts, however, so they stayed dry and asleep. Mer and Elena's stifled laughter filled the air as one by one, their friends floated out of their tents and onto a saddle. Once everyone was securely attached to their saddles, Mer and Elena packed up the tents. Mer leaped onto Eau's back with surprising agility and grace. She let Sao sit in front of her, resting his snoring head on her lap. In front of her, Elena jumped onto Theo's head. It almost looked like she was flying, or floating. She landed lightly and sat down. Maria was sleeping with Momo curled up on her head in lemur form in the saddle on Theo's back.

"Ready, Mer?" Elena whispered out. The clearing was silent.

"Let me just remind our fellow animal companions to fly as smoothly as possible!" Mer called out in a low voice. All the animals snorted with soft laughter in agreement. Elena nodded with a twinkle in her eye, and called out to Theo to fly. He led the group of animals out into the air. Everyone took off smoothly, leaving their riders to snore blissfully unaware. Eau's takeoff was a little iffy, but Sao still slept on. For the first few minutes of the flight, Eau was in the back of the group, getting used to flight.

Come on, Eau, get me up next to Elena so I don't have to be alone in the back. Mer sighed as she watched the backsides of Dune, Lux, and Theo.

Yes, but wouldn't it be logical that you would watch over everyone so that Elena doesn't have to? Eau reasoned. He was flying smoothly now, easily keeping pace with the others. He wasn't just saying that to spare him a bit of flying.

Eh, true. But I still feel like I'm being left out, I want to know where Elena's going to lead us, Mer laid back on the saddle and stared at the clouds floating by at a fast pace.

You don't trust her? Eau asked dryly as he sniffed the air.

Just curious. I don't really like being in the dark about where I'm going. Mer smiled as a cloud in the shape of a heart whizzed by her sea green eyes.

Well, if it makes you feel better, everyone except us animals, you, and Elena are in the dark... about everything! Mer and Eau laughed quietly. It was true, everyone was still snoring peacefully, completely unaware of what was going on. The group kept heading east, getting closer and closer to the rising sun. The beautiful rays were lighting up the sky, turning it different shades of orange and red. It was a beautiful sunrise unmarred by pollution and clouds that few could experience, and that Mer was slightly disappointed that all her friends could not see it.

"Sao," Mer shook him up and immediately covered his mouth as he opened his eyes. They were a bright blue, very similar to Mavi's eyes. And they were full of shock. "Shh, Sao, it's a prank, we're going to Si Wong Rock right now."

"What in the world?" Sao whispered as he got up and turned in the saddle so that his back was to Eau's head. Mer smiled and began explaining everything that had happened. Sao began to laugh, and Mer had to kiss him to get him to quiet down before he woke up everyone else, who was still sleeping.

"I woke you up to see the beautiful sunrise and kiss you, not to let you wake up everyone else," Mer chuckled. Sao looked around, and he saw the rays of orange and red streaking the sky. Half of the sun had just appeared above the horizon.

"That is beautiful, Mer," Sao agreed quietly. He turned back to look at her, and cupped her slim face in his hands. "But not as beautiful as you."

Mer blushed as Sao leaned in and kissed her. This kiss felt much more different; it was much more intense and passionate. Sao let go of her face and slid his hands down to her waist, and Mer lifted her arms up and threw them around Sao's neck, pulling him closer to her. After a few minutes, they broke apart, blushing and breathing heavily.

"That was nice," Mer grinned. She fixed her shirt back into place and braided her white hair into a beautiful milkmaid braid, letting the breeze graze by her neck.

"That was nice," Sao repeated monotonously, slightly dazed and out of breath. His blue eyes were shining bright with happiness. A whistle rang out from ahead of them, and Sao whipped around, surprised. It was Sorella, she had woken up as well. Blaize was still resting peacefully on Dune's back, and everyone else was still asleep. Elena had also turned around when Sorella whistled, and hushed her with a hint of a laugh at the edge of her voice.

"You are so cute together!" Sorella whispered, letting the wind carry her voice back to the couple. Since Mer couldn't shout back a retort, she just rudely gestured to her sister with a loving smile on her face. Sao laughed and turned around to face the front, letting Mer lean forward to rest her head on his flat back and hug his waist. She suddenly felt tired; after all, she had woken up much earlier than everyone else. Now that Sao was blocking the bright sunlight of the early morning, she could rest. Her eyes blinked shut and she fell asleep.

Mer was startled awake by the sound of jovial laughter and the smell of food. Her stomach grumbled uncomfortably as she blinked open her eyes. It was around noon, and the landscape below them was slowly changing into desert.

"Good afternoon, Mer," Sao smiled when he noticed Mer had woken up. He gave her some water and bread as her brunch. She soothed her parched throat and then dug into the toasty buttery bread that was surprisingly warm. Mer had expected the bread to be stale, but since Mavi and Blaize were experts at firebending, they had warmed up the bread perfectly.

"I think it's still morning, Sao," Mer said cheekily between bites of her bread. Sao scoffed, acting like he didn't care.

"Hey, Mer, nice trick you played on us!" Blaize called out in a friendly teasing voice. He was eating some bread as well. Mavi and Katelynn were on Lux's back, sharing a waterskin. Maria was awake and sharing some jokes with Elena at the head of the group, while Momo was flying around in human form, passing out articles of delicious food to everyone.

"What trick?" Mer replied innocently as she accepted a lychee nut from Momo. "Thanks, Momo!" Mer ate the lychee nut and joked around with her friends.

"Okay, guys, calm down, we're almost there! Look out for big clouds of dust in the sand," Elena commanded. Everyone quieted down and began looking down at the hot desert, observing their surroundings. It was all quiet, all around.

"Why are we even looking for dust clouds?" Mer complained after a few minutes.

"Where there are dust clouds, there are sandbenders." Elena replied solemnly. Mer still didn't see why they needed sandbenders, but she continued looking. After a few minutes, Mer's mind began to drift off once more.

"There!" Mavi suddenly called out. Mer turned and looked to the distance, where a small dust cloud was moving across the sandy plains.

"Land in plain sight and wait for them!" Elena ordered. The four animals obeyed and landed in the sand right in front of the path of the sandbenders. Mer jumped off Eau's back right after Sao. Her ankle sunk deep into the sand and she fell over, but Sao managed to catch her before she got a mouthful of sand.

"Thanks!" Mer gasped as she pulled her foot out of the sand. "I hate sand." The grainy material was getting in her hair and in her eyes as the wind whipped it up and around the group. The sandbenders were soon visible through the dust in the air. They looked like wrapped up mummies, much better protected from the sand than Mer's group of friends. They whipped around the group in their little sand boat things, stirring up even more annoying dust. Mer tried to protect her eyes from the sand as one particular sandbender jumped off their boat and landed squarely in front of Elena.

"Didn't expect to see you again, Elena." The sandbender said. From what Mer could hear, it sounded like a woman. However, the sandbender was completely covered up, even with some special kind of goggles that protected her eyes from the sand.

"Evadne! Just the person I needed to see!" Elena hugged the woman, who was apparently the leader of the sandbenders, because at her signal, everyone stopped their sand boats.

"How do they know each other?" Mer muttered to Sao. He shrugged noncommittally.

"Met last time she was in the desert," Sao guessed. They watched as Elena and Evadne exchanged a few more words, then they both jumped onto the lead sand boat.

"Everyone, get on the sand-sailers, Evadne will take us to Si Wong Rock." Elena motioned to everyone. The sandbenders on their sand boats, no, sand-sailers, waved in a friendly manner, beckoning them to get on.

"What about our animal companions?" Mavi called out from the back of the group. She was supporting Blaize, who was looking weak from the flight. Even the machine they had bought couldn't keep him fully upright. His eyes were glazed over with pain and confusion, while Mavi's eyes were burning with courage and stubbornness. She knew Blaize was dying, but she was refusing to let him go just yet.

"Let them fly above us. Elena has told me about Blaize, we must hurry!" Evadne commanded. Her musical voice rang out over the flat desert. Everyone hurried to help Blaize and Mavi onto the nearest sand-sailer. Within a few seconds, everyone was ready to go. A sandbender at the head of each sailer whipped up a tornado of dust that propelled them forward. They were following a small compass that always seemed to point to the center of the desert. Blaize and Mavi's sailer was right next to Elena's, while everyone followed closely behind. They travelled quickly over the barren lands, while the silhouettes of their animal companions followed above in the air. Their shadows flickered across the sand as they blocked out the sun.

"I hope he makes it," Sao whispered as he held Mer's hand. She nodded quietly as she watched the surroundings pass by at lightning speed.

Time was of the essence.


	18. The Hylocereus Flower: Part Two

Mavi was staring down at Blaize's blank hazel eyes, worried. He was resting his head on her lap as she kneeled on the floor of the sand-sailer. He was starting to get a fever, and he was tossing and turning, moaning in pain. He wouldn't last the night without help.

"Blaize, can you hear me?" Mavi whispered tearfully. He responded with a whimper of pain that Mavi couldn't bear to hear. She stroked his red hair out of his sweaty face.

"This dulls down pain sometimes, by making the drinker fall asleep," A sandbender whispered from behind Mavi. He offered up a small vial of purple liquid in his wrapped up hands. Mavi nodded, her throat too choked up to say a word, as she took the vial. The sandbender patted her back gently before leaving her in peace.

"Mavi!" Blaize gasped. He suddenly had a flare of desperation in his eyes. "Mavi, if I die, I want you to know that I love you."

Mavi began sobbing in earnest. "You're not going to die." She reached out one shaky hand and touched his dusty cheek. With another, she opened the vial and poured it down his mouth. "But I love you too." Blaize smiled as he drank the medicine.

Within minutes, he had fallen asleep, leaving Mavi utterly alone. She kept checking every few seconds to see if Blaize was alive or not. The suspense was driving her insane.

"Mavi?" Elena whimpered from the other sand-sailer. Her eyes were fixed on Blaize's still body. "Mavi, we're almost there, is he going to make it?"

Mavi closed her eyes and nodded. Every time she had hoped and wished for something, the opposite had occurred. But this time, Mavi wouldn't be able to live with herself if Blaize died. She rested one hand on his slowly rising and falling chest and hoped, prayed, that he would make it. Everyone was silent, no one dared to break the silence.

"The sandbenders are going to try to get as close as they can to Si Wong Rock, okay Mavi?" Elena called out after another five minutes. For some reason, it seemed like the sandbenders weren't allowed to go close to the rock. Mavi nodded. They were almost there. Mavi took off the brace on Blaize's back and threw it to the dust. No matter what happened within that rock, they wouldn't need it any longer.

The sand-sailers slowed down, but it seemed like they were still trying to push on. Some invisible force was stopping the sand-sailers from advancing. Mavi looked up, peering into the distance. A rock was getting closer and closer. Soon, it was only a few feet away. The sand-sailers began shaking violently, and Evadne called for everyone to stop.

"This is as far as we can take you before our sand-sailers are destroyed. Get off and run!" Evadne commanded. Elena nodded and jumped off of the runner and rolled in the sand. She jumped up and ran to Mavi to help her carry Blaize. Behind them, everyone else was beginning to run. Sao came to take Elena's place, and together, he and Mavi began running to the rock.

"Bye, Evadne, thanks!" Elena called out. She sandbended the sand-sailers away so that they would not be destroyed by the magnetic force of the Si Wong Rock. In the back of her mind, Mavi wondered where Elena had learned how to sandbend, but her main thought was to keep running, to get Blaize to the rock. Their animal companions were flying low across the ground. Elena sped forward and stopped at the huge black rock.

"Where to now?" Mavi cried out. Elena motioned for everyone to follow her. She disappeared into the rock, and without question, Mavi and Sao followed.

You'll have to stay outside, Mavi told Lux. She heard a distant squawk of agreement.

"These stairs will take forever to run down!" Elena reported. She commanded everyone to sit, and Mavi, confused, obeyed. Elena bended spinning balls of air below everyone, making sure to keep Sao and Mavi close together so that they would not drop Blaize. "Stay still!" Elena was sitting on her own ball of air. Suddenly, she whizzed forward, letting the ball of air carry her down the cold dark stairs at lightning speed. Everyone else followed close behind. Maria and Momo were waiting at the end to watch over everyone in case they fell off their air scooters. They sped forward down the musty dank stairs, the wind blowing through Mavi's hair. The stairs curved this way and that, and yet Elena, Maria, and Momo made sure that Sao and Mavi stayed together. Blaize was resting peacefully in their arms.

After a few minutes, they still hadn't reached the end of the stairs. Mavi was beginning to get impatient. Suddenly, Blaize spasmed, kicked out against the wall. He knocked both Mavi and Sao off balance, but before they could fall, Maria bended a blast of wind to knock them back on balance. Blaize was still flailing, and yet he was unconscious.

"How is he moving his legs if he's got a broken spine?" Sao wailed. Behind them, Mer was watching with wide eyes next to her sister.

"He's dying," Sorella answered solemnly with tears in her eyes. Mavi began to cry once more, so hard that she barely noticed the light at the end of the stairs. In three seconds, they appeared in a huge and beautiful chamber full of colorful objects. It was much warmer than the stairs. Elena jumped off her ball of air, letting the others dissipate. Mavi and Sao slithered down, trying to keep Blaize's flailing body from falling onto the floor.

"I have been waiting. Give me Blaize." An old woman in white robes walked forward and gently took Blaize's struggling body from Mavi and Sao without any trouble. "Don't step on anything," she reminded the group as she smoothly walked along a dirt pathway surrounded by different plants and such. "And don't come to watch."

Mavi sighed. She had done as much as she could. If Guru Oraefo wasn't going to allow her to sit by Blaize and watch, then she might as well rest. She laid down on a bare patch of dirt, but she couldn't fall asleep. Worry and fear gnawed at the edge of her mind, reminding her that Blaize might die today. She stood up, shaking out her tense muscles.

"Sorella, you are a healer, come help," Guru Oraefo commanded. Sorella jumped up and jogged over to the Guru's side at the far end of the cavern, which was strangely dark. They put their heads together and shared ideas for a second before calming down Blaize's spasms. Mavi couldn't bear to watch, so instead, she looked around the cave. She wandered around aimlessly, avoiding the dark side of the cavern. She inspected the colorful crystals that were spread across the walls and observed the koi fish that were swimming around lazily in a pond of water in the corner of the cave. A lava pool was on the other side of the cave, emitting light and warmth.

"Hey, Mavi." Elena walked up behind Mavi. She realized that she had been standing, staring at the pond for quite some time now. Elena looked so solemn, too old to just be the twelve year old airbender she once was.

"Are you alright?" Mavi asked as she sat down in the soft reeds beside the pond. Elena looked surprised, as if she couldn't believe Mavi would ask her if she was okay while her boyfriend lay dying.

"I'm good," Elena sighed as she sat down next to the pond. Mavi looked at her with knowing eyes. "Better than you, at least."

Mavi chuckled without emotion. She was laughing at her own misfortune in life. Her laughter died out, and for a few minutes, Elena and Mavi sat in silence. "The people closest to you are the ones that always get hurt," Mavi whispered. Elena nodded forlornly. Mavi's stomach grumbled loudly, and Elena smiled wryly. She opened her pouch and pulled out a few pieces of cold bread.

"Don't mind warming up this bread, do you?" Elena held out her bread. Mavi nodded and put the bread on a patch of dirt. She bended her blue fire, warming the stale bread. After a few minutes, all the bread was warm. Elena called Mer, Sao, Momo, Maria, and Katelynn over to share a meager dinner. Everyone got one piece of bread to last them the night. Mavi devoured the bread in a few bites and laid down, still hungry.

"'Night," Elena whispered quietly as Mavi closed her eyes.

"Bye," Mavi yawned as she fell into the endless world of her dreams.

"Mavi, wake up," Elena shook her shoulder urgently. "Something's happening." Mavi blinked open her eyes, temporarily confused about where she was. Then her mind cleared as Elena's hair, which was glowing auburn in the cavern light, brushed past her face. She sat up and blinked away her dreams. Everyone else was already awake, curled up against each other to watch the dark side of the cave. Sorella had done all she could, and now she was sitting with her sister. It seemed like they had been conversing a few minutes before, but now everyone was staring intently at the other side of the cave.

"Guru Oraefo has just picked the fresh Hylocereus Bloom," Sorella explained as Mavi came crawling to her side. She inched closer to get a better look, but was too afraid to get any closer than 10 feet away. She sat next to a patch of beautiful white flowers that seemed to gleam in the dim light. These must be the Hylocereus Flowers.

Mavi looked up just as Guru Oraefo got onto her knees, holding a bowl of what must have been a concoction of Hylocereus Flowers. She rubbed the blueish-white and slightly glowing paste onto the area around where Blaize's spine had broken. Her mouth moved, but Mavi could not hear the sacred words that were coming out of her old, chapped lips.

Suddenly, Mavi was thrown back several feet by an explosion of light and heat from Blaize's spine. He began to float into the air, spinning slowly, rigid as a wooden board. His eyes and mouth were wide open, shooting out a beam of white light. Mavi felt, for the first time, that she was afraid of Blaize. Suddenly, his spine cracked and his body was twisted unnaturally. He shouted out in pain, his voice hoarse and full of despair. White light filled the cavern, blinding everyone. Mavi covered her eyes before she went blind. Suddenly, the cavern fell back to its former light and Blaize's body thumped to the ground.

"Blaize?" Mavi cried out as she ran to his body.

"Guru Oraefo?" Elena called out. The old woman was also laying on the ground, unmoving. Mavi kneeled by Blaize, who was laying with his back touching Guru Oraefo's.

"What's happening?" Mavi asked. Guru Oraefo lifted her head slowly, but she didn't have enough strength. Her head hit the floor with a thump and she opened her mouth to speak.

"One must give a life to take a life." Guru Oraefo gasped. Mavi didn't understand, and just sat in silence. But suddenly, when she touched Blaize's tender cold neck and felt no pulse, she realized what was going on. Blaize was dead, but Guru Oraefo was about to give her life to take Blaize's back.

"Another Guru will come in time, Elena, you must find them," Guru Oraefo gasped as her spine cracked. She was taking away Blaize's spine injury. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she let out on last shuddering breath. As soon as the last bit of air left Guru Oraefo's lips, Blaize gasped his first breath. His eyes stayed closed, and after a few hurried breaths, his breathing slowed down to a normal rate. He was asleep. Mavi shakily felt his spine, and to her relief, she didn't feel any break.

The whole cavern was silent.

Elena's face was covered in tears as she slowly closed Guru Oraefo's eyes. She dragged her fingers along Guru Oraefo's spine.

"There's a break," Elena whispered. Her hand stopped at the same place where Blaize had broken his spine. No one replied. They only stared, their gaze flickering back and forth between Blaize and the dead old woman. Mer went over and picked up Guru Oraefo's small limp body, carrying it to the center of the cave. Elena focused for a few seconds, most likely imagining that the dirt was a lot like sand, and then bended a huge hole in the ground. Sao helped Mer lower the body into the hole.

This old woman had only met them for a few seconds, then spent the last hours of her life tending to a boy she had never known. And in the end, she had given her life to save him.

Mavi stood up weakly, this time without support. She bent down and picked up one Hylocereus Flower that was in full bloom, radiant and shining. She walked over to the makeshift grave and dropped the little bloom into the hole. It fell and landed right on Guru Oraefo's brow. A tear dripped off of Mavi's face and fell into the grave as well. Elena walked up beside Mavi and dropped a yellow dandelion into the grave, and it landed on one of the guru's hands.

Everyone paid a small tribute to the dead hero, the one who had died to save their friend. A small bloom, a crystal shard, they all went into the grave.

"Thank you, Guru Oraefo, for your selfless act of love," Mavi whispered. Elena let the dirt fall back into the grave, shutting Guru Oraefo's body away from the world. The thud of the earth compacting down into the grave echoed across the cave, bouncing off the crystals and stone.

No one moved until the last sounds died away. Everyone was crying.

"We'd better get going," Elena suggested sadly. She headed back towards the hole in the wall. Everyone nodded, seeing the logic in Elena's words, and followed. Mavi held back and slung Blaize over her shoulders, taking heavy steps to the stairs. She was not only weighed down by Blaize's sleeping figure, but also by all the despair in her mind. She stopped at the exit to the stairs and looked back one last time at the beautiful cave.

The rainbow-colored crystals were reflecting light from the lava pool. Fish swam around lazily in the pond surrounded by lush reeds. Patches of beautiful herbs and flowers littered the floor in full bloom. It was a beautiful oasis underground, and yet Blaize would never see it. Mavi sighed and turned away, walking into the dark and cold stairway that would lead her into a much harsher world than the one she had just left behind.


	19. Back to Normal

The ride back to Republic City was silent and gloomy. Elena rode at the head, right between Theo's two horns. She didn't want to talk to anyone, not even her beloved Momo. She just hugged her knees, staring forward blankly, her near-white eyes glazed over in deep and dark thoughts. In the back of her mind, she noticed that Mer was taking charge, leading the group back to their original campsite. Elena's eyelids were drooping with exhaustion, but everytime she closed her eyes, she could see Guru Oraefo's dying expression, one of love and fear. It would haunt her for a long time.

But Elena didn't want to be haunted for the rest of her childhood. She bended water out of her waterskin and placed it around the temples of her head. She closed her eyes, and through the thin membrane of her eyelid, she could see that the water was beginning to glow.

Elena didn't want to forget about Guru Oraefo's death entirely, but she wanted to heal her mind to help her accept the death and move on. Monk Gyatso had always told her to find harmony with the world. For a minute, the water simply pulsed beside her head, doing nothing. Suddenly, Elena felt a cloud of peace move through her mind, cleansing away most of her despair and sorrow. She let the water go back into her waterskin, feeling tranquil and serene. Her eyes were brighter, and instead of looking to the past, she was looking ahead.

Elena turned around and looked at her friends, who were all still feeling trampled and broken. She walked along Theo's spine and sat by Maria's side. She bended the water out of her waterskin once more and gently pushed her best friend's fear and misery out of her mind. She did the same with Momo, who was sitting shivering at the edge of the saddle in lemur form.

Sorella had noticed what Elena was doing and nodded. She began helping, splitting the job in half. She took away her sister's pain, as well as Sao's. Elena jumped off of Theo's back and pulled out her glider and flew over to help everyone else. Before long, a sense of hope and acceptance filled the whole group of friends as they entered Republic City.

"We're back!" Mer smiled as they entered the outer boundaries of the capital, back to her former self. "Let's get back to our camp, I'm tired." Eau rushed forward, taking the lead. After another minute or so of flying, the group began to descend into a clump of sparse oak trees.

"We're here!" Elena laughed cheerfully as she jumped off of Theo's head. They hadn't even landed yet, but Elena simply whipped out her glider once more and shot down into the clearing, feeling like a free hawk. The wind pulled her hair back, out of her face, clearing her vision. As she landed lightly, she closed up her glider and returned it to its place on her back in one swift movement. By the time her friends had joined her and dismounted, she had started a small fire. It was like a warm flickering friend in the dark clearing. The sun was setting.

"Who's up for some fresh food?" Mavi asked brightly. She pulled out a knife, nearly stabbing Sorella in the process. Sorella ducked nervously and volunteered to help retrieve food. "Right, so I'm an expert at hunting and making rabbit stew, but what about you airbenders?" Mavi sharpened her knife on a shard of rock.

"Well..." Elena looked at Maria, and Maria stared back. They both contemplated each other for a second, and Elena could almost see Maria's thoughts in her eyes. "Right, we'll have some rabbit stew too." Elena looked back at Maria, who nodded with a small smile.

"What?" Momo gasped. She was just about to put a lychee nut in her mouth. She was strictly vegetarian, since she was an animal herself.

"It's a time for change, I can feel it. I'm pretty sure I need a haircut as well." Elena said as she brushed her long bangs out of her eyes.

"I can do it!" Katelynn volunteered. "How about tomorrow?" Elena nodded.

"Right, so, let's catch some rabbits!" Mavi and Sorella dashed off into the trees, their lithe figures slowly fading away into the shadows.

Elena grabbed a large pot from within her bag and emptied her waterskin into the pot. As she was filling it with water, Sao and Mer both began to build a sturdy structure that would hold the pot above the fire.

"I'll go collect some herbs." Momo offered. Maria nodded and began to follow the small pale girl, but they were suddenly stopped in their tracks by a sleepy voice.

"I have herbs."

It was Blaize, he was up and tired, but he was awake, alive!

"Blaize!" Elena gasped, nearly dropping her pot of water. She placed it on a patch of grass and ran to Blaize's side.

"How are you?" Mer asked. Everyone began crowding around him, asking him questions.

"I feel fine," Blaize replied. He pushed off the ground and stood up slowly. "I'm healed!" Blaize laughed as he simply walked around the fire with clumsy steps. Even though he looked like he was taking his first steps, his movements were much more fluid than they were when he had a brace on his back. "I can feel my legs."

Such a simple statement, and yet it brought tears of joy to everyone's eyes.

"You're just in time for dinner," Elena said as she quickly wiped her tears away. She walked back to her pot of water and hung it over the fire on the structure that Mer and Sao had built. Katelynn walked over and added a few more sticks, trying to make the fire bigger. The tips of the flickering tongues of fire were barely brushing past the bottom of the large pot.

"Well, let me help you with that," Blaize strutted over awkwardly, still not quite used to his legs. He kneeled by the fire and closed his eyes, concentrating on his firebending power. Suddenly, in an explosion of concentrated power, a spurt of white fire shot into the meager flame, making it huge and warm. Elena gasped, covering her mouth to stifle the sound.

"Dude," Mer whispered. Blaize still had his eyes closed, so he hadn't seen his fire. "Dude, you have white fire."

Blaize opened his eyes in wonder, staring at the continuous stream of silvery-white flames. They were much hotter than his old kind of fire, it was burning with a new sort of power. Elena felt slightly envious of the beautiful flame, but she was mostly glad that Blaize finally was rewarded for pushing on through his injuries with a new ability.

"Cool," Sao whispered. The blinding blaze was reflected in his sky blue eyes.

"Um, I think my pot is starting to boil," Elena interrupted as she narrowly dodged a drop of boiling water that spluttered out of her pot as bubbles began to pop.

"Right, sorry," Blaize immediately stopped his stream of fire. Katelynn immediately began adding more sticks to feed the fire, which was now white instead of orange.

"Let's eat some rabbit!" Mavi's voice rang out from the edge of the clearing. As she walked into the light, everyone could see that she was carrying two plump rabbits in her hands, with her knife strapped to her thigh. Sorella came up behind her, carrying a few fresh herbs and a packet of uncooked noodles. She had obviously gone to buy it in the market while Mavi lay in wait for the rabbits. As Mavi neared the campfire, she noticed the white flame and saw Blaize sitting up. She dropped her rabbits, and, for a few seconds, stood there gaping, looking back and forth between the white flame and her boyfriend. Blaize stood up shakily, looking nervous. The fact that he had stood up on his own just made Mavi even more astonished. Sorella, who was standing beside Mavi, had managed to keep a hold on her food items as she gaped at Blaize.

"Blaize? Mavi?" Mer asked worriedly. "Sore-" Suddenly, Mavi and Blaize ran towards each other. Mavi was running slightly faster, and she met up with Blaize and jumped into his open arms, causing the both of them to fall. They kissed for what seemed like the longest time, making everyone feel slightly awkward.

It made Elena feel alone.

Mer and Sao began clapping slowly, and soon everyone joined in, even Elena. Mavi got up, embarrassed, and helped Blaize stand beside her.

"So, can we eat or what?" Blaize asked as he wrapped his arm around Mavi's shoulders. Mavi laughed and picked up the two rabbits she had dropped. The couple walked over slowly to the white fire, talking in a low whisper. Elena smiled. It was nice to get them back together after they had endured such harsh conditions. She walked closer and observed as Mavi gutted and cleaned the rabbits, setting the fur out to dry. She cut up both rabbits into small pieces of meat and rubbed salt all over them.

Meanwhile, Mer and Sorella were combining their efforts into cooking the noodles and adding herbs to the water. Mavi dropped her rabbit into the stew and began mixing everything together. She placed three large leaves in the thick soup and let it simmer. As everyone waited for the soup, they broke into small groups and began conversing. It was truly a peaceful night.

Once Mavi announced that the soup was ready, they divided it into small bowls and passed it around to everyone. They sat around the fire, absorbing the warmth and eating the delicious soup.

Throughout the whole night, Mavi and Blaize stuck close to each other, never letting go of their hands.

"Meat isn't so bad, I suppose," Elena whispered to Maria, who was sitting beside her. Maria nodded as she slurped up a long strand of noodle. Elena finished her soup quickly and began setting up everyone's tents and unpacking.

"Elena, you shouldn't have to worry about all these things," Maria and Momo came up behind her as she pulled a heavy bag off of Theo's back. "You're just only twelve, you know."

"But we'll help you," Momo smiled. She jumped onto Theo's back and pulled out their tent and set it up next to the fire. With three people working, it only took ten minutes to get all the tents set up and all the luggage unloaded. Elena took off everyone's saddle and set it in a pile at the edge of the clearing. Exhausted, she walked into her tent and fell asleep.

The sun filtered in through the flap in Elena's tent, blinding her. She blinked open her eyes, rubbing them until she could get up. Her wild bangs fell into her face once more, and she was glad that Katelynn had promised to cut them for her today. She stretched and took some time to meditate before she took off her clothes and exchanged them for clean ones. Momo sat on her shoulder as she stepped out of the tent.

Everyone was already sitting outside, lazily stretching and relaxing in the morning sun. Even all the animals were basking in the warm light. Mer was teaching Sao how to heal with water, Mer and Blaize were sitting under the shade of a large tree, holding hands and talking. Maria was sitting next to Sorella, and Momo flew over to join them. The only person that was missing was Katelynn. Elena, bored and impatient, began to dig a trench in the ground, trying to create a river that would pass through the clearing. Digging became too much of a hassle, so Elena walked off into the trees and found a stream nearby. It seemed like the same stream Sao had used to bring water for when Blaize had been hit by a car. Elena concentrated, and slowly began to push some of the water through the ground and back to the clearing. There was a wide gap between trees that Elena weaved the stream through the gap, making sure not to get near the roots of the trees. After about a minute of intense work, Elena appeared into the clearing. She kept pushing the water on, and when the three waterbenders spotted her, they came to help without question. With the work of four skilled waterbenders, the stream was pushed through the clearing to the other side of the trees and then connected back with another stream.

"So, what's this for?" Mer asked as she watched debris flow along the new stream.

"Just to make getting water easier," Elena explained. She walked back to the clearing, not exactly in the mood to talk. She could feel the other waterbenders staring at her, but she didn't mind.

But why exactly was she in a bad mood?

Elena sat down next to the slow-moving shallow stream she had just created. Why was she so antisocial? Was it because of Mavi and Blaize? Elena looked over her shoulder to the couple, and felt a pang of jealousy in her heart. Was she jealous of Mavi? Did she like Blaize?

Are you crazy? Of course you don't like Blaize in that way! Momo interrupted her thoughts. She flew over to Elena's side and transformed into her human form.

"What's wrong with me?" Elena whispered.

"You're just lonely. And, besides, it's your -" Momo was cut short as Katelynn ran into the clearing holding a whole suitcase of materials.

"What's that?" Elena asked excitedly in greeting as Katelynn ran by the stream. Her hair was a bright orange in the sun.

"Wait, where did this stream come from?" Katelynn asked as she set down the suitcase.

"I made it, with waterbending."

"Cool, it's perfect for what I'm about to do!" Katelynn opened her suitcase, revealing a new set of salon materials. Scissors and brushes and everything. Even a hair dryer! "I also bought a cabbage from that crazy cabbage lady, Grace? Yeah she wouldn't stop bothering me." Katelynn pulled out a cabbage head and rolled it across the grass.

Elena sat down next to the stream and Katelynn began to wash her hair, using some shampoo and conditioner from her salon materials suitcase. It smelled like flowers and fresh rain.

"That is organic and non-toxic right?" Mer asked as she slid up behind Katelynn.

"Of course, I don't want to kill the wildlife around here!" Katelynn smiled as she rinsed the conditioner from Elena's hair. While it was still wet, Katelynn told Elena to choose a different side part.

"Why?" Elena asked as she began messing with her hair.

"I have a planned hairstyle," Katelynn smiled. She pulled a mirror out of the suitcase and held it up for Elena.

"Katelynn, come here for a second!" Momo waved to Katelynn. She patted Elena's shoulder and left the mirror on the floor as she walked towards Momo. When Elena had set her hairline to the side, right above her eye, she picked up the mirror to admire her hair, which already looked so different. However, in the back, she could see everyone whispering and casting glances at her. She slowly let the mirror fall once more. Were they disappointed in Elena? She suddenly felt unwanted, hated.

"Hey, that's a cool hairline!" Katelynn smiled as she returned. She began to fix up Elena's hair, and Elena was forced to put up a fake cheery smile.

"Okay, close your eyes, and don't peek until I'm done!" Katelynn ordered as she held up scissors. Elena obeyed, closing her eyes. She could feel the snipping of her hair getting cut off. As the scissors neared her face, Elena had a brief fear that Katelynn was about to stab her, but then she scoffed to herself and let Katelynn continue to cut her hair.

After several long minutes, Katelynn finally began to work on the back of Elena's hair. She could feel wet strands falling down her back and onto the grass. As Katelynn worked, Elena could hear everyone else doing something weird behind them. But she didn't peek, she just kept waiting.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Elena heard Katelynn put the scissors back into her suitcase.

"Can I look now?" Elena asked impatiently.

"No!" Katelynn gasped, horrified. Elena snorted impatiently and kept her eyes closed. "Mavi!" Katelynn called out. "Make an electric spark so I can use this hair dryer."

Elena could hear an electric spark jump between Mavi's fingers. She wasn't exactly sure how they did it, but the hair dryer turned on and Katelynn began blowing the hot air through Elena's hair.

"You know I can just use airbending and dry my hair in two seconds, right?" Elena huffed impatiently as Katelynn began blowing through her hair. She could feel her hair whipping her in the face.

"Are you kidding? I have to do it this way so that when it's dry, it'll be in the perfect style!" Katelynn exclaimed as she kept blowing through Elena's hair. Elena sighed in exasperation and prepared herself to sit blindly for a long time.

"Done!" Mer called out from behind Elena. She sparked Elena's curiosity. Maybe she could just peek a little...

"I'm done too," Katelynn stopped the hair dryer and Elena could hear Mavi walking away in a hurry. Did she not enjoy being near Elena or something?

Katelynn held up the mirror and Elena opened her eyes. She gasped. Elena looked like a completely different person. Her hair wasn't hanging in her face anymore, it was swept to the side, covering her eyebrow. For the first time in many years, Elena felt like she was beautiful. Her hair framed her face perfectly.

"Happy birthday, Elena," Katelynn whispered as she patted down a stray strand of hair on Elena's head. Elena's eyes widened. That was why she was so disappointed - because no one had remembered her birthday.

"But even I, myself, forgot my birthday!" Elena gasped. She turned around, and was stunned once more. Everything was clicking into place.

Katelynn had been called away to discuss a surprise birthday party for Elena, so Katelynn stalled by taking an extremely long time to cut and dry her hair. While Elena had waited, everyone else had transformed the clearing into a mini birthday party, complete with a beautiful ice statue in the center.

"I told them to make fried vegetable dumplings for you!" Maria called out, gesturing to a makeshift table with a whole row of steaming dumplings. Sao was wearing a hat and was standing at the end of the table, cooking more dumplings. There were also many more plates of a variety of foods, all delicious and tasty.

"You look beautiful, by the way!" Blaize called out. He was shakily walking around, distributing makeshift party hats to everyone. "I don't want to give you a hat just in case I ruin your awesome hair." Blaize winked at Elena before handing her a hat anyways. He was obviously very happy he had survived to see Elena turn thirteen. Dune was sitting on the floor, curled up around the ice statue with Lux dragging her beautiful tail feathers across the floor, dying the grass a slight gold color. Theo was lazily rolling around in the grass with Eau batting at his flat tail.

"Party!" Momo screamed. On the other side of the clearing, Mer and Sorella had apparently used water to bend a huge clean pool in the ground.

"Here's a swimsuit," Mavi threw two small pieces of gray cloth at Elena, who caught it with surprise. She ran into her tent and tried the two-piece swimsuit on. The bottom fit perfectly, but the top was slightly tight on her chest. She shrugged and walked out of her tent. Suddenly, she felt very self-conscious. She was pretty much naked!

"Just get in the pool and you'll feel better!" Maria laughed as she pushed Elena towards the pool.

"Don't get your hair wet!" Katelynn wailed. Elena slid into the water, which provided a slight bit of cover and made her feel better. She swam around lazily, trying not to get the top half of her hair wet.

"Cannonball!" Blaize screamed. He had changed into trunks and was running towards the pool. He jumped into the air and landed in the water, creating a huge splash. Elena barely managed to put up a wall of air to deflect the water droplets.

"Hey, dipshit! Watch out for the birthday girl!" Katelynn shouted out indignantly, overly protective of Elena's new hairstyle. She was wearing a white two-piece swimsuit that displayed her flat stomach and had her orange hair down. She slid into the pool and began swimming around, looking like a fish.

"Dumplings, anyone?" Sao began passing plates of fresh steaming dumplings around the pool. The plates were floating on the water, balanced. Elena used a bit of waterbending to push the plates out gently to everyone in the pool, making sure to keep them from tipping over. She picked up a pair of chopsticks from a plate that was passing by and wrapped up her hair, sticking the chopsticks into the bun to keep it up. Then she used her fingers and stole a dumpling from the plate and ate it whole.

"GAH! That's hot!" Elena gasped as tears sprang in her eyes. She swallowed the dumpling and froze a bit of water from the pool and stuck it in her mouth.

"Here's a drink," Mavi smirked. She was wearing a light turquoise swimsuit that showed off her curvy figure, making Elena feel slightly skinny and... not curvy.

"Thanks," Elena smiled as she took the cool glass of pink lemonade from Mavi, who then slid into the water, holding up two more glasses of lemonade. She waded over to Blaize, who shook the water out of his red hair, splashing Mavi. She shrieked and ducked out of the way before hugging him and giving him a glass of lemonade. He smiled and kissed her before taking a sip. Elena sighed, feeling lonely, and ate another dumpling. Momo and Maria waded over to Elena and began talking.

"Nice birthday party, huh?" Maria commented as she watched everyone mill around the pool, chattering.

"Certainly better than the ones at the air temple," Elena nodded with a little smile. She had shared a birthday with Afiko, who would steal most of the attention as "birthday boy." Elena shook her head slightly, trying to get all sad thoughts out of her mind. It was her birthday, after all!

Elena finished her drink in two big gulps, wincing at the slightly sour taste of the lemonade, and set the glass on the side of the pool. She grabbed Maria's and Momo's hands and dragged them into the center of the party. Mer and Sao were performing some tricks with waterbending, doing a choreographed dance.

You should totally mess them up, Momo suggested slyly from Elena's shoulder. She was trying not to get wet, keeping her long tail up above the water.

That would be rude! Elena gasped in reply. She bended a small splash of water from behind her that hit Momo squarely in the back of her head, drenching her in water. She yowled in surprise and tried to take off and fly away to dry land, but her wings were weighed down with water and she simply splashed into the pool, getting even wetter than she already was.

"Why'd you do that?" Blaize laughed. Mer and Sao gave a grande finale to their lovely performance and Elena clapped wildly.

"She wanted me to mess up Mer and Sao's performance!" Elena explained with a hint of a sarcastic pleading tone in her voice.

"Momo, how could you?" Mer gasped angrily with a gleam of laughter and playfulness in her sea green eyes.

"Oh no, Mer, don't kill me!" Momo gasped as she turned into her human form (which was conveniently wearing a one-piece black swimsuit), barely containing in her laughter. Mer chased her out of the pool, and Mavi and Blaize looked at each other slyly. They were planning something.

They got out of the pool and pulled out a long and relatively straight stick. They held it at chest height right in front of Momo and Mer, who were both still running. Momo, who was short, had no problem getting under it, but Mer ran into it at full speed and slipped on the slightly damp grass. She gasped as her breath was knocked out of her. Blaize and Mavi dropped the stick in shock.

"Mer?" Sao whispered as he crawled out of the pool. Mer was laying down on the grass with closed eyes, limp.

"Uh," Blaize muttered awkwardly. But Mer was fine; she jumped up and began laughing.

"Limbo, anyone?" Mer asked as she picked up the stick and held it up in the air.

"Jeez, you scared me!" Sao laughed. He bent over backwards and went under the stick with no problem. Everyone crawled out of the pool and began their game of limbo. The younger, shorter people lasted much longer, as suspected.

Blaize was first to be out, when the stick brushed his stomach as he was bent over. Next was Sao, who fell on his knees as he lost balance.

In the end, only Elena was left. She had a slight suspicion that everyone else had purposefully lost so that Elena would feel superior on her birthday. Mer lowered the stick to right above Elena's knee. She couldn't make it this time.

"I forfeit," Elena announced after contemplating the location and position of the limbo stick. Everyone groaned in disappointment as Elena skipped away from the limbo stick.

"At least try!" Mer called out, still holding the stick in the same position. Elena sighed and nodded, making everyone cheer. She walked up to the stick, looking as if she were preparing herself to go under it. At the last second, Elena laughed and jumped over the stick instead.

"I lied!" Elena laughed as she landed on the other side of the stick. Mer snorted and tossed the stick at her.

"Whatever," Blaize smirked. He ran over to the table and ate a few more dumplings.

"Stop eating!" Mavi laughed. She threw a ball of moss at Blaize and it hit him in the back of his head. He raised his eyebrows and glared at Mavi in a playful way. "Oh shit!" Mavi laughed as she ran away as Blaize chased her. He threw a dumpling at her and it hit her back, exploding in a hot mess of vegetables.

"Not the dumplings!" Sao wailed. He ran to his table and put his hands out, trying to protect his precious food.

"Oh shut up, Sao!" Mer giggled. She bended the water from the pool and pushed a whole plate of dumplings against Sao's head. There was a squelching sound as the dumplings covered Sao's hair. Luckily, everyone was wearing swimsuits as the food fight started. Elena shrieked and quickly dodged as a dumpling flew over her head and into the trees. She put up a wall of air to deflect the flying food.

"No fair, Elena!" Maria laughed.

"You can use bending if you want!" Elena replied as a dumpling bounced off her shield.

Elena noticed Eau running around and leaping into the air, catching the flying food in his mouth. Soon, Dune also joined him. Momo was in lemur form, eating lychee nuts quietly at the end of the food table. Elena grinned evilly and picked up the dumpling, letting down her shield. She aimed carefully and threw the dumpling at Momo. It hit her squarely in the head, and she screeched and dropped the lychee nuts, flying around wildly to try and get the food off of her head.

"Elena!" Momo growled as she landed on the floor and transformed into a human. Her white hair was disheveled, covered in vegetables.

"Oops!" Elena laughed. She ran away, dodging flying food and people, as well as the food on the floor. Everyone began to use their bending powers to collect food and throw them at anyone in their line of sight. Elena ran around in wide circles with Momo chasing her. Mer threw a chicken wing at Elena and it hit her side, leaving an orange stain on her swim suit. "Mer!" Elena wailed. She stopped and picked up the chicken wing and threw it back and Mer, hitting her white hair and tingeing it orange. Momo caught up with Elena and tackled her into the ground, getting all sorts of slimy food onto her back.

"Gross," Momo muttered. "But revenge is sweet!" She laughed and jumped away, flying into the air to escape the war. Elena groaned and rolled over, crawling into the pool to get all the disgusting food off of her.

"Well I guess we can't use the pool anymore," Blaize remarked as he observed the food floating around the pool.

"Sorry," Elena smiled tentatively. She jumped out of the pool and sat in the grass at the edge of the pool, staring at the sunset.

"Wonderful party," Mavi muttered as she sat down next to Elena, pulling food out of her hair, which was starting to grow out of the nice haircut she had when they had first met.

"You started it," Blaize smiled as he sat down next to Mavi and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Sorry about your dumplings, Sao," Elena smiled as Sao sat down in a huff on her other side.

"They were destined to die anyways," Sao said dramatically. Mer snorted and sat next to Sao, helping him get the dumplings out of his blonde hair.

"I bet they're glad they aren't sitting in your stomach right now," Mer joked.

Maria and Momo sat next to Mer and began washing themselves in the pool. The whole group of friends was sitting in a semicircle around the pool, using the water to wash the food out of their hair and their swimsuits and off of their skin.

By the time they were all done, the sun had set. Everyone was wet and clean but the pool was full of bits and pieces of food and covered in a thin layer of grease and oil, which Elena found quite disgusting. It was starting to get chilly as the moon began to rise behind them.

"Get all of your body parts out of the water please," Mavi shivered. No one moved. No one had even wanted to keep their limbs in the mucky water, so Mavi's warning had been pointless. Blaize and Mavi both let out a small spurt of blue and white fire into the pool. Because of the oil and grease, the top of the water lit up quickly, lighting up their little campsite.

"What happens when the oil runs out?" Elena asked.

"Good question," Blaize muttered with a little smile. They stared at the blue-white fire as it flickered peacefully above the water. It warmed everyone up, and it lasted surprisingly long. By the time it had died out, everyone was feeling content and sleepy. Elena bid everyone goodnight and crawled into her tent.

By far, it was indeed the best birthday ever.


	20. Firebending

Blaize laid down beside Mavi, watching her breath evenly.

"I know you're watching me," Mavi muttered. She rolled over to face Blaize, who smiled brightly at her accusing face.

"I was just wondering, maybe we could start teaching Elena firebending?" Blaize suggested as he began messing with Mavi's dark hair. It was still slightly wet from being washed.

"What about Charisse and the earthbending stuff?" Mavi asked. She scooted closer to Blaize, pressing her small body against his warm figure.

"I dunno, I mean, we don't even know if Charisse will accept her yet, and I don't know if... I just, maybe..." Blaize stuttered as Mavi's blue eyes pierced his soul.

"Why don't we ask her tomorrow?" Mavi suggested with a twinkle in her eye. Blaize smiled and nodded. "Now go to sleep, you dimwit." Mavi buried her head into Blaize's chest, and within a few seconds, she was breathing evenly again, asleep. Blaize hugged her sleeping figure and closed his eyes.

When Blaize woke up, he was splayed out across the floor of his tent, a blanket pushed to his side. Mavi wasn't anywhere in sight. Blaize stretched and sat up, feeling slightly sick, with a sore throat and a stuffy nose. He guessed he was feeling sick because he went to sleep with wet hair. He didn't feel like changing, so he just walked out in his pajamas. The sunlight from early morning blinded him.

In the middle of the clearing, he saw Mavi standing next to Elena, whose new hairstyle looked much better than before. Mavi must be explaining the concept of firebending. Blaize walked up to the two girls, the slightly dewy grass crunching under his bare feet.

"... And firebenders are full of power, they use force and go on the offense," Mavi explained as Blaize neared the two.

"Truth is, they don't know much defensive moves," Blaize admitted. Mavi looked at his clothes and sighed.

"So firebending is kind of the opposite of airbending in terms of moves and personality," Elena guessed. She looked slightly defeated. She probably felt like firebending would be the hardest to learn.

"Firebending isn't all that hard, you just need a purpose and a will to do it," Blaize said encouragingly.

"And you have to remember that fire is not a source of death and destruction, it is actually a symbol of life." Mavi pointed to the sun that was shining its fiery rays on the earth, warming everyone up, providing life to the plants. Blaize silently thought to himself that fire was indeed a source of death and destruction if a firebender chose to make it so, but he kept that to himself. Elena had enough self doubt as it is, she didn't need Blaize to add any more. Besides, Mavi would kill him if he said that.

"Fire in its natural state is uncontrollable, so it will take a very strong will to control your fire," Blaize said solemnly.

"So, uh, let's start with the basics! Control the fire that we make," Mavi suggested. She went over to the campfire that Sao had put out last night. She lit it on fire, on blue fire, and it flickered slightly. Blaize and Mavi both stood close by, ready to intervene if something should go wrong. Fire had a life of its own, and unlike any other element, things could get out of hand very quickly.

"Just make the fire bigger and smaller," Blaize suggested as Elena stood there with blank eyes. She nodded nervously and put her hands out near the fire, as if she was trying to warm them.

"Don't get too close to the fire though," Mavi advised. Elena backed up slightly and closed her eyes. Her thin eyebrows furrowed in concentration, but the fire flickered as always, unchanged by Elena's attempts to firebend.

"You have to want to bend it," Blaize said as Elena's efforts faltered. She nodded, her eyes still closed. She tried again, with no results as well.

"I give up!" Elena growled after several more minutes of intense concentration. Fury lit up her eyes, making her look like a goddess. She shot out a small spurt of orange fire that dissipated in the air, and Elena's anger melted away as she stared at her hand in amazement.

"That was great, but I don't think you should base your firebending off of anger," Mavi smiled, looking like a proud parent. Elena nodded enthusiastically, her hope restored in her firebending abilities.

"Wait, Mavi, let's try something else," Blaize went off into the clearing, searching for a leaf. "Remember when we did this so long ago?" Blaize asked as he brought back a rather large leaf. Memories sparked in Mavi's eyes and she nodded enthusiastically.

"Right so, we set this on fire in the center, and you have to maintain the fire so that it doesn't touch the edges of the leaf," Mavi explained. Blaize touched the center of the leaf and it burst into a small white flame, then it began slowly eating away at the edge of the green leaf. Blaize placed his fingers on the edge of the leaf and controlled the fire so that it stayed in a small circle at the center of the leaf.

"Cool," Elena smiled, taking the leaf from Blaize. The two watched intently as Elena struggled with the flame. After a few minutes, Elena got it stabilized, the flame lighting up her eyes, making them look white.

Blaize's attention began to waver, and he lost interest in Elena and her flaming leaf. Mer and Sao were splashing around in the river that Elena had made, obviously attempting and failing at learning healing. Sorella and Maria were talking to each other as they sat on the grass near Theo, making some sort of crafts while Momo flew lazily around their heads, playing with Theo. Katelynn was doing her morning warm-ups that she had slightly neglected ever since Blaize's accident.

"This is getting boring," Elena complained. She was slouching over, staring at her leaf.

"I agree," Blaize piped up with a bright smile. Mavi snorted and turned to glare at Blaize, but her eyes suddenly widened in shock. Elena looked up and gasped, dropping the leaf. The flame was put out on the way down, so nothing actually caught on fire.

"Holy shit," Mavi murmured.

"What?" Blaize asked awkwardly.

"Look!" Elena shouted. She bended a blob of water out of her waterskin that she always kept at her side and flattened it out into a little translucent pane. Blaize looked into it, assuming it was supposed to function like a mirror. He saw a wavery reflection of himself with pale skin and wild hair.

"What?" Blaize muttered. He stared into the water, seeing nothing.

"Turn your head to the left," Mavi said. Blaize slightly turned his head, and his hair caught the light. There was a sort of silvery white streak of hair along one side of his head, standing out from the rest of his red hair.

"I think that's an effect from the Hylocereus Flower," Elena whispered.

"I look fucking stupid!" Blaize wailed, stroking his hair. Mavi snorted and punched his arm lightly.

"Katelynn to the rescue!" Katelynn cartwheeled over to the three, holding her new hair styling kit in her hand. She pulled out some hair dye exactly the same shade as Blaize's hair and made a mixture within a few seconds.

Where did the dye come from? Blaize asked Dune as he and Lux neared.

No idea, Dune shrugged, his broad shoulders moving up and down. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Momo fly onto Elena's shoulder with Maria and Sorella following closely. Mer and Sao climbed out of the stream, dripping water everywhere, and joined. Everyone, even Theo and Eau, crowded around Blaize as Katelynn began rubbing the reddish brown mixture from her bowl into Blaize's hair.

"Now we just wait a few more minutes and his hair will be red again, guaranteed!" Katelynn announced. She washed out her bowl in the stream, and everyone watched as, after a few minutes, Katelynn shoved Blaize's head into the water. He saw the red washing out of his hair, making it look as if he was bleeding into the stream. Soon the water ran clear, and Katelynn helped Blaize raise his wet hair back out of the water.

"Did it work?" Blaize asked as he ran a towel through his hair.

"Impossible! What is this bullshit?" Katelynn growled. She brushed out Blaize's hair, and everyone began laughing. The white streak was obviously still there.

"Damn it," Blaize muttered. "Don't look at me!" Blaize wailed, pretending to faint.

"What, are you saying white hair is a bad thing?" Mer shouted indignantly.

"Uh, no, your highness, don't hurt me!" Blaize laughed.

"Foolish peasant," Mer teased.

"Your clothes are wet," Elena said.

"Great, an excuse to have him change into normal clothes, thank you!" Mavi laughed. She helped Blaize up and pushed him into their tent. "I think this streak is great, it reminds you of how you were saved from death by a flower," Mavi teased as Blaize pulled on a clean shirt.

"Yay, I love flowers," Blaize muttered. He shook some water out of his hair, making Mavi let out an affronted shriek. They laughed and walked back out of the tent together, discussing some other ways they could help Elena learn how to firebend.

"This is obviously going to be the element Elena has the most trouble with," Mavi murmured as she watched Elena laughing and playing with Momo.

"She's too passive and calm. She needs some kind of drive that will push her into firebending," Blaize nodded. Maybe they could make her angry? Her anger was the main thing that had helped her firebend.

Firebending is not based off of emotions, Dune butted in, once again spying on Blaize's thoughts.

But it seems like the only way to teach her how, Blaize reasoned.

If she starts off the wrong way she will have a bad habit that will be impossible to break, Dune retorted.

"What's Dune saying?" Mavi asked. She could obviously tell that Blaize was talking to his dragon.

"He's saying that even if Elena's only way to learn firebending is by using her anger, she shouldn't do it at all because it's a bad habit and it's not the true meaning of firebending." Mavi nodded, seeing reason in Dune's words.

"Do you think we should keep trying?" Mavi asked doubtfully.

"Ask Lux," Blaize suggested with a smile. Her eyes glazed over as she began communicating with her phoenix. They both sat down in the shade of their favorite oak tree, the one where Blaize had carved "Blaize + Mavi" inside a heart on its bark.

"She said it was up to us," Mavi sighed. Blaize glared at the phoenix across the clearing for a second, then looked back at Mavi.

"We'll be here even if Elena needs to learn earthbending first," Blaize said quietly. Mavi nodded. She walked up to Elena with Blaize following close behind.

"So you're not exactly good at firebending," Mavi said awkwardly. Elena sighed, disappointed, but she agreed.

"So maybe you should seize the moment and take earthbending classes instead," Blaize said. Elena looked at him, her eyes resting on the white streak in his hair for a second.

"Why not both? I can balance it, take earthbending classes in the morning and then come back and practice firebending," Elena offered.

"Great idea, but are you sure you can handle it?" Mavi asked. She sounded like such a concerned mother, it made Blaize's heart warm up. Elena nodded enthusiastically.

"I've got it under control."


	21. Preparations

"This is stupid," Mer muttered. She was standing in the stream, waiting for a fish to pass by. Her plan was to hurt the fish and have Sao try to heal it, but so far her plans were going to waste. "Stupid fish!"

"What's up, did the fish insult you or something?" Sao laughed. He jumped into the pool, wearing his swimming trunks. The weak sunlight made his muscles glow, and Mer blushed at her awkwardness. She still had no idea why Sao liked her, they were so different. He was a good-looking master of water, and she was just a normal girl.

You're the freaking daughter of the moon, shut up and catch a fish, Eau interrupted. Mer sighed, but caught her breath as Sao snuck up behind her and hugged her waist. Just command a fish to swim by and impale itself.

"Hey," Sao whispered into Mer's ear. "What are you doing?"

"Commanding a fish to swim by and impale itself," Mer answered automatically. Her eyes widened and she slapped herself in the face for saying that.

"What?" Sao laughed, backing away slightly. "Why, are you hungry?"

"No, it's just, I'm trying to kill a fish -" Mer broke off, realizing she sounded like a horrible person for wanting to kill a fish. "I just wanted to hurt a fish -" No, that was cruel too. "I need to... wound a fish so that you can learn how to heal it."

"That makes sense," Sao smiled. He didn't seem the slightest bit perturbed at her stutterings about murdering innocent sea creatures.

"This is why I love you," Mer smiled. She turned around and leaned upward to kiss Sao, but a fish shot by.

"FISH!" Mer screamed. She jumped out and grabbed for the fish, missing by about a centimeter. She felt her fingers brush by its slippery scales as it escaped. She dropped in the stream, and Sao immediately helped her up.

"Looking for this?" Sao laughed. He had bended the fish in a ball of water out of the stream. "You could have just used waterbending, but now you just got both of us wet."

"Sorry, I'm stupid," Mer sighed. She pushed her heavy wet hair out of her eyes, feeling embarrassed. What kind of daughter of the moon was she if she couldn't even use her waterbending powers for her benefit?

You could also have talked that fish into sticking around, Eau suggested lazily.

It's too late now, Mer replied spitefully. She could hear Eau laughing, but she ignored it.

"You're not stupid," Sao smiled. He kissed her wet face gently. "You're just normal, and I love you for it." Mer blushed as Sao helped her get her hair out of her face. They stared into each others eyes.

You should probably impale that fish soon, Eau advised. Mer sighed and nodded.

"Come on, time to heal the fishie," Mer smiled. She got a rock and closed her eyes. Killing fish for her survival was one thing, but causing the fish unnecessary pain was another. The fish flopped around on the grass, but Mer just couldn't bring herself to do it.

"You don't have to do this," Sao whispered gently, placing his hand on her wet shoulder.

"You have to learn healing. I have to do this," Mer replied, her voice shaking. Why was she worrying about a fish so much?

Don't worry, Mer, I'm here for you, Eau sent over a reassuring cloud of feelings into Mer's mind, and she calmed down. She hit the tail of the fish, drawing reddish blood from the hole. The fish kept flopping around.

Are you okay, fishie? Mer asked tentatively. It was her first time talking to a trout, and she wasn't sure how to go about it. Were trouts even capable of intelligence?

SUFFOCATING! The fish replied. Mer's eyes widened. She bended a blob of water around the upper half of the fish.

"Right, so, heal it," Mer smiled. "We've gone over everything, now you just have to do it for real." Sao nodded and bended another blob of water over the fish's lower half of his body and closed his eyes. The blood from the wound floated into the water, tainting it red.

So, what's up, human? The fish asked awkwardly.

Uh, teaching my boyfriend how to heal, Mer replied.

Are you talking to the fish or something? I can hear you talking! Eau laughed.

What's a boyfriend? The trout asked, his bulging eye turning to Mer. She felt slightly unnerved by the eye, and was overwhelmed by talking to both a fish and a flying wolf at the same time. Mer pushed their voices out of her mind and focused on Sao. He was concentrating, a bead of sweat running down the bridge of his nose. He looked so amazing, Mer just wanted to kiss him, but she refrained from distracting him.

Finally, the water around the fish's tail began glowing blue, and the hole in the fish's tail began to seal itself.

Whoa, lights! At my tail, WHOA! The fish shouted, his bubbly voice ringing around Mer's head annoyingly.

You're an annoying little shit, you know that right? Mer growled at the fish.

But my tail is tingling! It replied. Mer glanced over at Sao, who was still concentrating. The tail wound was nearly gone. As the last bits of blood and open flesh disappeared, Sao's glowing blue water began fading away and returning to normal.

"Great job!" Mer smiled, hugging Sao with one arm.

Silly humans! Talking in weird voices! The fish wiggled around in the grass.

"Shut up!" Mer growled. She threw the fish into the stream and it swam away.

"I didn't say anything," Sao said.

"Oh, no not you, the fish was annoying," Mer said.

"Right..." Sao said. Mer felt like throwing herself in the stream as well, for sounding so stupid. "Are you saying you're not annoying?"

"Excuse me?" Mer laughed. She pushed Sao into the creek, getting him soaking wet.

"Oh no you didn't!" Sao grinned and grabbed Mer's hand and pulled her into the water after him. She screamed and water filled her mouth. She filtered the air out and began breathing underwater.

Are you crazy? Eau grumbled sleepily. Mer bended water from the stream and aimed it at Eau, hitting him square in the face.

Yes, I'm crazy. She could hear Eau grumbling and shaking the water out of his fur.

I guess I deserved that, Eau sighed as he laid his damp head back on the grass and fell asleep.

"This isn't fair, you can breathe underwater!" Sao's voice drifted through the water, which distorted his speech slightly. He was still holding on to Mer's hand. She smiled slyly, getting an idea. She pulled Sao down into the water and kissed him. The current pulled Mer's long white hair around the two, making it look like they were surrounded by white snakes. Sao wrapped his arms around Mer's torso, pinning her hands down to her sides. Mer could feel Sao's hands sliding down her back, and she pulled her hands out to hold Sao's face. Mer could feel the tension between their lips. As soon as Mer had touched Sao's lips, she could feel that he had gained her power of breathing underwater temporarily. She felt like they could stay under there forever, in the cool soothing water, kissing each other until their days were done and gone.

After what seemed like forever - or maybe it was just a few seconds - they resurfaced, splashing water everywhere. Mer stayed in Sao's arms, gaining warmth from his strong figure and from the rising sun.

"Why are you still hugging me?" Mer asked awkwardly after they stood like that for fifteen minutes. Sao would never hug her for so long.

"The top of your swimsuit came undone," Sao whispered into her ear. Mer froze, embarrassed beyond belief. She let go of Sao and awkwardly tied back her swimsuit. Sao let go of her once the top was secure.

"Thanks," Mer whispered. She stepped into the stream and sat down, feeling better since the water would provide a sort of cover over her.

"Lighten up, it's okay," Sao smiled. Mer sighed and nodded, pushing her embarrassment to the back of her mind.

"So... um, healing."

"Did I do a good job?" Sao asked tentatively. He climbed down into the pool and sat next to Mer. She felt the current pushing her along slightly, buffeting her back.

"Well, it took you a long time to heal the hole," Mer said. She was slightly afraid of hurting Sao's feelings, because he did much better than she expected for his first time to heal a real wound.

"I see, so how do I make the procedure faster?" Sao smiled, obviously very humble and willing to take Mer's criticism.

"You just have to get used to healing, it's more about practice," Mer said.

"Then what are we waiting for, let's practice!" Sao laughed.

"I sincerely hope the fish isn't annoying this time."

They waited and soon enough, a fish swam by and the couple worked together to catch it. It was much larger this time, and Mer identified it as a kamba catfish.

Don't hurt me, I'm just trying to return home! The fish flopped around in the ball of water. It was about four feet long with one large prominent fin on the top of its back.

Don't worry, Mr. Catfish, you'll be back in the stream before long, Mer reassured. The catfish calmed slightly, and Mer (with a bit of doubt and pity) repeated the procedure and dug a hole in the fish's tail. Once again, it seemed like the fish didn't even feel the rock puncture it's flesh.

Sao shifted his position and began healing once more, while Mer kept a ball of water around the fish's head and gills so that it wouldn't suffocate. Sao took slightly less time to heal the wound, even though it was larger and more complex than before.

"That was much better!" Mer complimented as she released the fish back into the water. It swam through the river in a hurry, desperate to escape from the human waterbenders.

"Thanks," Sao smiled. He opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted as they saw Katelynn bouncing over to Blaize. There was a lot of shouting, and they went over to see what was going on.

"Dude, look at Blaize's hair!" Mer whispered. "That's so weird!"

Sao turned and stared at Blaize's head. It took a while for him to see it, but once he did, he couldn't stop staring. "The white streak?"

Mer nodded, "Yeah, it's so..."

"Beautiful?" Sao smiled.

"Yeah - wait, what?" Mer looked up at Sao, stricken.

"It reminds me of your beautiful hair," Sao laughed. "Except yours looks better."

"Aww, thanks Sao," Mer hugged him and he patted her head awkwardly.

Sao is totally a bisexual, Eau butted in. Now get out of the way, Blaize needs to wash his hair in the river.

Blaize's hair was sopping wet, covered in a red dye.

Bisexual? Mer asked as she and Sao got out of Katelynn's way. How can you tell? Katelynn brutally dragged Blaize over the grass and shoved his head in the water.

I can feel it, Mer, Eau replied sarcastically.

Right... Mer smiled. She pulled Sao over by the stream and watched as the dye floated out of Blaize's hair and into the water.

"That better be environmentally friendly," Sao warned Katelynn as she ran her fingers through Blaize's hair. His head was still submerged, and Mer was beginning to question Blaize's chance of survival.

"Don't worry, it is non-toxic!" Katelynn smiled brightly. Even though she was holding a thrashing Blaize in the water, she still didn't get a single drop of water on her clothes.

"Do you think that's safe?" Mer asked.

"Don't worry, she used to do this all the time," Mavi smiled.

"Are you sure she's not crazy?" Mer asked tentatively.

"I'm completely sane, trust me," Katelynn smiled brightly... a little too brightly.

"She's totally crazy," Sao breathed into Mer's ear, causing her to smile. Finally, Katelynn pulled Blaize out of the water and he choked some out. Mavi brushed his wet hair out of his face and handed him a towel.

"Did it work?" Blaize wheezed as he ran a towel through his hair.

"Impossible! What is this bullshit?" Katelynn growled. She brushed out Blaize's hair, and everyone began laughing. The white streak was obviously still there.

"Damn it," Blaize muttered. "Don't look at me!" Blaize wailed, pretending to faint.

"What, are you saying white hair is a bad thing?" Mer shouted indignantly.

"Uh, no, your highness, don't hurt me!" Blaize laughed.

"Foolish peasant," Mer teased.

"Your clothes are wet," Elena observed.

"Great, an excuse to have him change into normal clothes, thank you!" Mavi laughed. Mer smiled at the ease at which Mavi and Blaize worked together. They disappeared into their red tent.

"Well that was exciting," Sao remarked. Mer nodded and walked into the creek, messing around with the water absentmindedly. She imagined what it was like to be the ocean, pushing and pulling at the sandy shores of the land.

It reminded her of the nightmare she had last night, where she had sacrificed herself to become the Ocean Spirit, much like her mother had sacrificed herself to become the Moon Spirit. Memories flashed across her mind - a black koi fish lying dead on the grass, a tall dark figure standing above her, her mother watching, a flash of light...

"Mer?" Sao asked, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Just a bad dream," Mer whispered. To her surprise, she felt a tear run down her face.

"Don't cry, it's just a nightmare," Sao smiled. He gently wiped away her salty tear. Mer nodded, resting her head on Sao's steady hand. But she didn't believe him. Somehow, somewhere, someday... La was going to die.

Lightning flashed across the sky, and in the distance, she could hear angry and desperate shouting. She was walking along a path, one that she was following by instincts. She couldn't control her own movements. Something told her to memorize where she was going. So she did. A left here, a right there. Her surroundings seemed eerily familiar, white and icy, but she just couldn't place the memories.

The sounds of shouting and screams got louder, and suddenly, she felt herself walking into a hidden tunnel. The cold temperatures melted away, and she felt more comfortable. She walked across a bridge over silent and calm waters. The shouting had most definitely originated from this area, but suddenly the whole island was empty.

A sense of purpose entered her and she walked to the center of the island. There was a pool full of clear water, undisturbed. The whole island was perfectly serene. Around the pool was lush grass and sparse trees.

Inside the pool - a koi fish. Black and magnificent, with beautiful white eyes and a silvery diamond on its head. It was swimming around in a small clockwise circle, looking forlorn. She felt a sense of purpose as her eyes rested on the fish.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a shadowy figure pulled the beautiful koi fish out of the pond and threw it to the ground. The shadow faded away as maniacal laughter echoed around the oasis. The fish struck the ground, dead.

Suddenly, she felt the water all around the world stopping. She could hear screams. The water didn't move. She touched the pool, expecting ripples to mar the surface of the pool. Nothing happened. The water didn't move.

La. She closed her eyes and kneeled beside the dead fish's body. A searing pain ran through her body, and as she opened her eyes, she saw her long hair turning jet black.

Suddenly, everything went dark.

She got up as light returned to her eyes, and saw a body on the floor. The body belonged to a young girl, around the age of seventeen, with long jet black hair and sea-green eyes. She was dead. Who was the girl? She did not recognize the body, although something at the back of her mind was telling her that she should know the girl.

But no, she was Mer, the Ocean Spirit. She did not know any mortal.

"Mer!" Sao shouted out, concerned. Mer's eyes fluttered open. She felt her face. It was wet. Mer was crying. "Mer, what happened?"

"Nightmare," Mer whispered. Tears flowed down her cheek. It wasn't just any nightmare. It was a premonition.

Of her death.

Sao hugged her, rocking her shaking figure back and forth. "It's just a dream, it's okay," Sao whispered. Mer shook her head vigorously, tears still freely falling from her puffy eyes.

"Sao, I -" Mer couldn't say it. In between sobs, she just kept trying to tell him that the dream was much more than a dream. "Sao, it's -" She was interrupted by yet another shaking sob.

"What is it?" Sao asked gently. He pushed Mer's white hair out of her face, which just reminded her of the black hair on the girl's body. Her body. She sobbed harder, her body racked with uncontrollable weeping. Sao took the hint and left them in silence, simply stroking her hair as she rested her head on his chest, trying to wipe away her tears.

Finally, just as the sun began to rise, Mer's sobs began to quiet down to sniffles. Sao had stayed with her the whole time, ever since he had first woken her up. It had probably been a few hours, and Mer thought she could see bags under Sao's eyes.

"I'm sorry," Mer whispered with a hiccup. Sao smiled.

"Don't be. You can tell me when you're ready." Sao patted Mer's head and got up. He came back a few seconds later with two pieces of ice. "Put these on your eyes, it'll make the redness and swelling go away." Mer obeyed, laying down and closing her eyes, placing a piece of ice over each. It was soothing and cool.

Mer could hear Sao bustling about the tent, and before long, she could smell the calming scent of chamomile tea. A small smile graced her face, and she pulled off the two slightly melting pieces of ice. She pushed herself into a sitting position and was about to stand up, but Sao gently pushed her back down.

"Stay," Sao commanded with a little smile. Eau walked in, trailing his white fur. He was definitely shedding.

Eau didn't even say anything. He just simply sat by Mer, providing a comforting presence. He knew all about Mer's dream already. He knew that it would come true. And they needed to spend all the time they could together.

Sao brought over a cup of hot tea for Mer and himself. They shared it in silence. The tea warmed up Mer's insides, making her feel much better.

"Thank you," Mer smiled. She set her tea down on the slightly furry floor and kissed Sao. He blushed and kissed her back.

"So you feel better?" Sao asked. He took Mer's cup and placed it at the edge of the tent. Mer nodded and got up shakily, stretching her strained muscles. Sao helped her, and Mer's heart was filled with love.

Mer, I'd just like to say I love you, Eau nuzzled Mer's side and her eyes were momentarily filled with tears once more, but this time with tears of joy. Sao grabbed Mer by the waist and pushed her up onto Eau's back.

I love you too.

Sao jumped up behind Mer and sat down. Eau began walking out into the bright sun, where everyone was already standing in a circle, discussing something in urgent voices.

"Finally, where have you three been?" Blaize shouted out, exasperated. Maria motioned for them to join the large circle. All the animal companions were sitting next to their human companions. Mer and Sao sat down next to Sorella with Eau laying in the grass behind them, his large ears pricked.

"Right, so, as you well remember from yesterday, I totally suck at firebending," Elena said once everyone quieted down. Sao and Mer looked at each other with a small smile. They hadn't been paying attention to Elena at all.

"Don't be so negative!" Maria scolded lightly, punching Elena's shoulder. They shared a laugh.

"So, what we're planning on doing is letting Elena seize the moment and go to Charisse's earthbending classes while we're still here in Republic City," Mavi said.

"You're talking as if we're going to leave soon!" Sorella protested.

"We might have to," Blaize said gravely. Everyone was reminded of when they traveled to Si Wong Rock to heal him.

"What about firebending?" Sao asked.

"I can learn that alongside earthbending," Elena said with conviction and determination. Everyone in the circle nodded, agreeing.

Mer finally decided to speak out, "So, what are we waiting for?"


	22. The Other Students

Sorella wrapped a cloth around Elena's forehead, covering up her airbender tattoo. Elena was wearing a long sleeve shirt that covered up the blue arrows on the back of her hands.

"Don't fly to the earthbending lesson on your glider, remember, you're just a normal earthbender now," Sorella reminded Elena. She nodded. They had spent a while talking, and had decided that it would be safest if Elena hid her identity as the Avatar, in case someone tried to assassinate her. Elena walked out of the clearing with Momo on her shoulder. She followed the map down the streets of Republic City, taking note of where to turn and where to keep straight. After a frustratingly long time, Elena decided to give up. She sat at the edge of the road, defeated.

Just go ask someone, silly, Momo teased. Elena's eyes brightened and she nodded, getting up and walking back into the crowd of people. She targeted a young lady that was near the edge of the crowd.

"Excuse me, do you know where Charisse Beifong's Earthbending Classes are? I'm afraid I'm lost," Elena smiled politely. The young lady stopped and turned to Elena, looking slightly suspicious... and familiar.

"I am Charisse Beifong," she replied calmly.

"Oh, uh, can I enroll in your class?" Elena asked, slightly surprised that Charisse wasn't already in class teaching.

"Sure, we're here," Charisse pointed to a location on the map quite close to the class. "Just go down this street and turn left, it's hard to miss." Elena nodded and began walking, but when Charisse didn't walk with her she stopped for a second. Charisse was actually walking in the other direction, away from her class.

Where is she going? Elena asked Momo as she kept going in the way Charisse had pointed out.

Buying supplies...? Momo guessed. Elena shrugged, unbalancing Momo for a second, and she turned left. To her left was a huge and long wall, and in the center of the wall was a door. A sign above the door showed Elena that this was indeed earthbending classes.

Elena walked into the earthbending class into a wide clearing. The floor was completely made of stone, and everything surrounding the clearing was also made of stone. Huge blocks of earth and rock were scattered around randomly, blocking Elena's view of certain areas of the clearing. Low walls surrounded and closed off the clearing, but left it open to the sky. No one was around. Momo was sitting on Elena's shoulder, her bright green eyes wide and watchful.

Anyone? Elena asked as she peered around the clearing.

Nope, I think Charisse and her class are late. Momo concluded.

She pulled out her arms (to which her wings were attached) and flew to sit upon a high rock like a watchful white statue.

"Uh, hello?" Elena called out tentatively. Her voice echoed off all the stone in the clearing. Elena shrank back from the sound of her voice. She milled around for a few minutes, but she couldn't find anything. Sighing with disappointment, she sat down and began to play with a few pebbles on the floor. Momo began dozing as the sun began to inch across the sky.

"Hello," A voice said from behind Elena. It sounded like a young boy. Elena turned around, caught off guard. Elena waved when he saw the boy. He had brown eyes that turned a golden-brown in the sun, gleaming with humor and sarcasm. Sitting on top of his eyes were two bushy eyebrows that cast a more serious shadow over his eyes. He had thick wavy brown hair that was somewhat dynamic, shining a blonde color in the sunlight. It was fluffed up at an angle, making it look like he had just gotten out of bed. It made his long face seem even longer. He also had a long nose that rounded off right above his small lips. On his nose sat a pair of thick-rimmed rectangular glasses that made him look slightly smarter than the average male. He also had a long and skinny neck with an Adam's apple that stuck out slightly. He had broad shoulders and was taller than average.

"Hi, my name's Elena." The boy smiled awkwardly at her name, the corner of his eyes crinkling slightly, and Elena noticed that he had the same quirky crooked smile that she had. He had straight and white teeth. Elena smiled back, feeling slightly nervous.

"Uh, my name's Ari." He came over and sat down next to Elena, dropping his skateboard on the floor. He had skinny, long, muscular limbs that he seemed not to be used to. He was wearing a long sleeve shirt, just like Elena, even though it was warm outside. He was probably a year older than Elena. Since they were both tall, they seemed to be fourteen and fifteen instead of thirteen and fourteen. Elena nervously pulled her sleeves down over her hands to cover her airbender tattoos that extended to the back of her hands.

"Nice to meet you, do you know where Charisse is?" Elena shook Ari's hand. He had long and slender fingers that made her feel like her hand was fat and pudgy.

"She always makes us wait a bit, because earthbenders are supposed to be patient and stuff," Ari snorted. He took off his glasses and shoved them in his backpack. "Don't wanna break my glasses," he explained as he turned back to Elena. He had his head tilted at an awkward angle, but it seemed really adorable to her. Elena laughed, brushing her side swept bangs out of her eyes. Her headband was slightly bothering her, but she ignored it.

"I guess you have worse vision than I thought. Maybe I can help you, you know, fix your eyesight," Elena smiled.

"What, are you kidding? Fixing my eyesight with earthbending... you'd kill me!" Ari gasped jokingly. Elena laughed, but on the inside, she was silently berating herself for nearly revealing that she was the Avatar. As of now, Ari thought Elena was just an earthbender, and that's how she wanted it to stay.

Elena felt like something was different, not just about Ari himself but about their conversation as well.

"You don't think I'm blind!" Elena exclaimed out loud when she realized what was so weird. Usually everyone she met thought she was blind, but Ari hadn't even made one single comment about it.

"Of course not, why would I?" Ari's slightly humorous attitude was gone, replaced by a much more serious expression, though he still had a bit of an awkward air about him.

"Everyone else thinks I'm blind, because of my eye color," Elena sighed as she stared at the stone ground.

"What? Let me see!" Ari gently pushed Elena's face back toward him. He stared intently into her eyes, making her feel giddy and nervous. She could see the golden flecks in his iris. He was an inch away from her. "You have cool eyes, but you don't look blind," Ari concluded with a small smile, biting his bottom lip.

"Thanks, you're the first person to say that." Elena couldn't stop smiling as she looked away with a slight blush. Ari smiled, his mouth slightly open. He looked as if he were about to say something important, but suddenly, someone else walked into the clearing.

She had beautiful long ashy blonde hair, slightly gray in the sunlight, up in the latest, most fashionable style. Her eyes were also a blue-ish gray that were outlined by a bold black eyeliner. She had long black lashes and a perfect porcelain face. She also had very fashionable clothes, in hot pink colors. She walked with a very superior air about her, but she was probably the same age as Elena and Ari. But the thing about this girl that caught Elena's attention was her airbender tattoo. The girl was probably just a messenger from Charisse.

"Look, our most important guest!" Ari smiled enthusiastically, but Elena could already tell that something was off about his bright smile. "Avatar Xue!"

Avatar Xue? Momo gasped, falling off the rock.

"Avatar Xue?" Elena shouted out. A feeling of anger and disbelief entered Elena's heart, rendering her unable to speak.

"Yes, nice to meet you, little earthbender. I am the Avatar, and I do believe you are overwhelmed from being in my presence, judging from your expression.," Xue spoke. She had a very lofty and disdainful voice. It made her sound like she was talking to a mere animal, one that she obviously didn't expect an intelligent response.

Fury rose in Elena as she realized that Ari actually believed this girl was the Avatar, but she carefully kept her expression blank.

"Wow, amazing," Elena replied in an awkward voice. "Which air temple are you from?" In the back of her mind, she was still furious and she still had half the mind to punch Xue into the ground, but her most important task was to see which air temple dared to send an imposter.

"The best air temple of them all, of course, the Southern Air Temple." Xue scoffed, as if it should have been obvious which air temple she had come from.

"Great," Elena said sarcastically.

"She's a little difficult but she's really nice once you get to know her. Besides, she's the Avatar, try to deal with her," Ari whispered as Xue went over to sit on a rock and put on more makeup. Elena nodded, this time trying to actually trying to look enthusiastic and genuine. Ari grinned as he noticed the effort Elena was trying to put into her smile.

"Up and ready!" A voice commanded from behind Elena. It was Charisse. Ari jumped up and stood with his hands behind his back, and Elena hurried to copy him. Only Xue took her time to put away her makeup and stroll over to stand next to Ari. "Nice to see you join us, Avatar Xue," Charisse said dryly with a knowing glance at Elena. Did she know that Xue wasn't the Avatar?

Avatar Xue, this is nuts! I'm going to kill that insolent excuse for an airbender. Momo snarled from Elena's shoulder.

My question is how is she in this earthbending class? Elena asked quietly. Momo nodded, her wide green eyes watchful as Xue smiled back at Charisse.

"Right, today we're going to take it easy because we have a newcomer. You there, in the long sleeve shirt, what's your name?" Momo nudged Elena's cheek and she gave a start.

"Oh, yeah, my name's Elena," She replied nervously, pulling her sleeves down. Charisse nodded and walked back out of the clearing.

"Where is that old hag going now?" Xue whined, going to sit back down on her rock. Elena glared at her for a moment before turning away and sitting on the floor.

Old hag? Charisse is probably around thirty years old! That's not old at all, Momo snarled angrily. The lemur sighed and sat down on the ground, wrapping her wings around her body. Elena nodded in agreement, slightly sweating. The long sleeves were uncomfortable, and she pulled them down nervously.

"Why are you pulling your sleeves down like that all the time?" Ari asked. He came to sit by Elena. She opened her mouth slightly, but she didn't know how to respond. "No, you don't have to answer, it's okay," Ari smiled. He reached over to Elena's hands, and she immediately shrank away. "Trust me," Ari said. Elena nodded and closed her eyes, hoping that Ari was indeed trustworthy. She heard two snips and felt a little tug on each sleeve. She opened her eyes, surprised. Ari had not peeked under the sleeves - he had actually cut two holes in her sleeves.

"What do I do with these?" Elena asked, feeling as if he had ruined her shirt.

"Put your thumbs in them and then you won't have to keep pulling your sleeves down," Ari instructed. He held up his two hands and waved them around. He also had cut two holes in his shirt. Elena laughed and nodded, pulling the sleeves down, sticking her hands through the holes. Ari fixed them up a little and adjusted them.

"Cool," Elena nodded appreciatively. She stretched out her hands experimentally and the sleeves worked fine. "Very cool."

Charisse walked back in the clearing, and Ari and Elena got up once again, while Xue stayed put.

"Right, so, earthbending. There are two kinds in the more modern days, but today we will focus on the old-fashioned style. You must use neutral jing, which requires the bender to wait and listen for the right moment to strike, and when you do strike, it must be done decisively. You must attack with unyielding force," Charisse explained in a solemn voice that even Xue had bothered to pay attention to.

"How is that different from the modern style?" Elena asked. Everyone looked at her for a second, and she was afraid that they weren't allowed to say things.

"Good question, anyone want to answer?" Charisse smiled. She looked at Xue, her eyes resting disdainfully on her gray hair for a second before turning to Ari expectantly.

"Uh, the other style is the, uh, pro-bending style, right?" Ari murmured. Charisse nodded encouragingly, and Ari kept talking. "Earthbenders in the pro-bending tournaments keep light on their feet to dodge projectiles launched at them because they can't afford to endure their enemies' attacks and be knocked back a zone. They act more like airbenders, I think, evasive and stuff."

Charisse nodded approvingly, "Very good, Ari, and -"

"I don't think any other kind of bender can even match the prowess of airbenders," Xue interrupted accusingly, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

I'm surprised she even knew the word prowess! Momo snarled. Elena stopped the little lemur from attacking the insolent airbender, even though she wanted to throw a punch at Xue's face as well.

"You're the Avatar, you have to learn that all the elements are equally important in balancing this world," Charisse explained with complete patience. Xue scowled and returned her attention to her perfect nails. "As I was saying, the traditional earthbending was first learned from the blind badgermoles, so it is important to know that when you are earthbending, you must not rely on sight but on a sixth sense. Elena, do you know what the sixth sense is?"

"What, you're not going to bother asking me if I know it?" Ari muttered sarcastically.

"Of course not, I already know you know!" Charisse laughed. Ari grinned a crooked little smile at her. It was obvious that they were closer than any normal pupil/teacher relationship.

"It's when you extend your senses through the ground and feel the vibrations, right?" Elena asked. Charisse, Ari, and Xue all looked at Elena in surprise, as if they didn't expect her to know what the sixth sense was. "What? I know what it is, I've used it in wa -" Elena immediately clamped her mouth shut. She was about to say that she had used it before in waterbending, in the fight between her and Mer.

"Yes, that's right," Charisse nodded, impressed. Elena smiled, feeling as if she had gained Charisse's approval. Ari nodded and held out his fist, and Elena smirked, tapping her fist against his.

"Great, great, can we get to earthbending now?" Xue muttered in a bored voice. Charisse closed her eyes for a second, as if she was barely restraining herself from bending a block of earth to hit the "Avatar" in the face.

"Uh, just a warning, I've never earthbended before, so..." Elena said awkwardly. Ari smiled reassuringly at her, one corner of his mouth higher than the other, and she immediately felt as if everything was fine as long as Ari kept smiling.

"That's fine, you're just a late bloomer," Charisse said.

Late bloomer? You've already learned airbending and waterbending! Momo grumbled angrily, obviously still upset about Xue. Elena smiled and patted Momo on the head.

"So, today we are going to take it slow so that Elena can catch up. I sincerely hope she's a hard worker, though," Charisse smiled. Elena nodded and followed Ari to the center of the clearing. "Just pushing rocks today," Charisse explained. "Ari, help her if she needs it."

"Got it, Charisse," Ari nodded. He stood next to Elena, flexing his hands nervously, as if he always needed something to do with his hands.

"So, get into stance," Charisse stood in front of a large stone that was about the same height as her. Elena glanced at the position of her legs and arms and copied the teacher, standing in front of her own rock. Ari was at her right, preparing himself in front of his own rock. He glanced over at Elena and nodded. Xue stood at Elena's left, standing in a very lazy stance. Charisse checked over all three of her students, smiling at Ari, nodding at Elena, and sighing and giving up on Xue, before speaking once more. "Now, just... push the rock forward."

Charisse was obviously horrible at explaining.

But she demonstrated, holding her hands out and keeping the rest of her body steady like a rock. The pale stone in front of her moved forward a few inches. Ari copied Charisse, and his stone moved smoothly. Elena narrowed her eyes and turned to her left, watching to see how exactly Xue was getting by in the class. Xue stood in a stance that Elena had learned so long ago - it was an airbender's stance. She used airbending to push the rock forward. Elena smirked, finally understanding how Xue was a liar and a hoax.

"Come on, Elena, what are you waiting for?" Ari asked. Elena turned back to her rock, and she noticed that Ari, Xue, and Charisse were watching her.

"Right, uh, just push the rock, um," Elena focused on the rock in front of her. How should she do this? She recalled how she had bended the air and the water. Just connect your chi, connect with the rock...

Elena pushed her hands forward steadily, but the rock didn't move.

"Nice try, Elena, but try again," Charisse smiled. Elena nodded and focused once more.

"This is so boring," Xue complained. Elena's eye twitched in annoyance.

"Shut up, Xue," Ari muttered. Elena smiled slightly as he defended her.

"In love with Elena now, huh?" Xue taunted. "Well let's just see what happens when I do this!" Elena's eyes snapped open as she sensed something sliding towards her through the vibrations in the ground. It was her rock - Xue had bended the air to push the rock at Elena. She focused, zoning everything out, and blocked the stone. She noticed Ari jumping up and trying to stop the rock, but Elena got there first. It stopped dead in its tracks.

"Good job," Charisse nodded at Elena, who blushed.

WHAT ARE YOU SMILING ABOUT YOU DUMBASS? XUE JUST TRIED TO KILL YOU! Momo screamed, thrashing about in anger over the floor, her wings catching the air.

"No, Momo, stop!" Elena jumped up and grabbed Momo out of the air before she could attack Xue. "Sorry, my animal companion is just..."

"Crazy," Ari laughed. Elena nodded with a nervous chuckle and put Momo down on the floor.

Don't do that. I promise you can punch a tree when we get back to camp, Elena pointed a threatening finger at Momo and she sat there, still fuming with anger, her long ears shaking.

"Sorry, uh," Elena awkwardly stood there.

"That was great earthbending, though," Ari complimented.

"Yes, I noticed you sensed vibrations through the ground," Charisse agreed.

"I'd like to formally thank the most beautiful Avatar Xue for helping me learn how to earthbend!" Elena said in the most sarcastic and spiteful voice, and bowed deeply to Xue, smirking. She could almost feel the waves of anger coming off of Xue.

"Can we just keep working on pushing the damn rocks," Xue muttered. Charisse laughed and nodded. Elena worked on earthbending for the remainder of the afternoon, and with the help of Ari, she soon progressed to more complicated movements. Charisse was still indeed a horrible teacher - she couldn't explain a single thing, but Ari had learned so much from her that he was basically Elena's teacher.

"How did you even learn from her in the first place?" Elena muttered as she heard Charisse stuttering over how to explain how to kick up a rock from the ground and kick it again towards an opponent.

"She's just nervous around Xue, she was perfectly fine when she taught me alone," Ari shrugged with a small smile. Elena nodded, pursing her lips. "So when you kick down, you actually have to use your downward force to bring a small piece upward, it's like opposition." Ari demonstrated, stomping his foot on the floor and a small piece of stone flew upward. Elena nodded and copied him, stomping her right foot forward. To her surprise, a shard of rock actually flew upward, leaving a hole in the ground next to her foot.

"I don't even know how I did that!" Elena laughed.

"Well, good job anyways," Ari smiled. He kicked his hovering stone forward and it hit the center of a large stone in the center of a clearing.

"Do I actually make contact with the rock?" Elena asked. Ari shook his head. Elena took a deep breath and kicked forward, but the rock didn't move. "SHIT!" Elena shouted as she grabbed her foot. The rock clattered to the floor.

"Damn, girl, you have skills," Ari laughed as Elena hopped around in pain, tears springing in her eyes. She had kicked the sharp side of the rock, and it hadn't budged one bit.

"At least I'm doing better than Xue," Elena muttered as she gingerly set her foot down. A dull pain resonated through her foot.

"She always has problems with these kinds of things," Ari shrugged. He bended a little bench out of the ground and helped Elena sit down.

I know why that is, Momo muttered angrily.

Hush, Momo, just let it go, we'll talk to everyone back at camp about it, Elena said reassuringly, masking her own doubts.

"Are you gonna be able to walk on that?" Ari asked. Elena put her foot down and tried to put weight on it, but a sharp pain shot up her leg and she winced.

"Yeah... no... no I can't," Elena muttered.

"I'll just have to carry you then!" Ari laughed.

"Wha-" Elena shrieked as Ari slid his hand under Elena's knees and behind her back and picked her up. She froze, afraid that if she moved, Ari would drop her.

"You're light," Ari commented as he walked around the clearing.

"Yeah, class is dismissed," Charisse sighed as she watched her two best students get off task. Xue muttered and walked out immediately, throwing her purse over her shoulder.

"Bye, Charisse!" Ari shouted out.

"Thanks for the great lesson!" Elena smiled. Ari kneeled on the ground and motioned for Elena to pick up his backpack for him. She grabbed one of the straps and let it drag as Ari kept walking, careful to not let the skateboard touch the floor. Momo flew around lazily.

Ari and Elena, sitting in a tree, Momo began singing quietly. Elena bended a small javelin of air to punch Momo.

Shut up, little lemur, Elena smirked as Momo got hit to the side. She shrieked and pretended to fall, and at the last second caught herself before she hit the ground.

"Uh, is your lemur thing okay?" Ari asked as he turned around and watched as Momo fluttered around weakly, acting as if she was injured.

"She's just pretending," Elena snorted. Ari nodded and turned onto the main street. "I've got it from here, you should go home now," Elena said. "Thanks."

"Are you sure?" Ari asked as he set Elena down on the floor. She hopped on one foot and nodded.

"Just go home," Elena said. She pushed Ari away playfully and tossed his backpack to him. He unhooked his skateboard from his backpack and looked back at Elena one last time, his brown eyes slightly narrowed as he contemplated Elena's awkward position.

"Take my skateboard," Ari offered. Elena shook her head, refusing the skateboard.

"Trust me, I'll be perfectly fine," She stared Ari down until he sighed and nodded.

"Okay," Ari said, still nodding. He turned, slinging his backpack over his right shoulder, and threw his skateboard forward. He jumped on it and rolled away.

Now what? Momo asked as she sat down on Elena's shoulder.

Go into a bathroom and heal it? Elena suggested. Momo shrugged in agreement and Elena began limping into the nearest store.

"Hello, can I please use your restroom?" Elena asked. The storekeeper nodded and pointed to a door near the back. Elena began limping towards the bathroom, passing by many interesting animals.

What is this place? Elena asked as she passed by a huge cage that encased a large and colorful giraffe with wings.

Animal companion shop, Momo guessed as they passed by another winged lemur in the cage. They're all very lonely and sad.

Elena pursed her lips and limped into the empty low class bathroom and into a stall. She bended the water out of the sink faucet and healed her foot. A momentary flash of blue lit up the dim dingy bathroom and the pain in Elena's foot immediately melted away.

Much better, Elena sighed. She walked out of the bathroom, passing by the miserable animals quickly, and back out into the streets. She walked home quickly, passing through the little oak forest around her campsite with Momo on her shoulder chattering constantly and eating lychee nuts. All she could think about was Ari.

"How was it?" Mavi asked in greeting as Elena walked into the clearing.

"Obviously great, look at that smile on her face!" Maria laughed. Elena cleared her head and turned to look at her friends. It was pretty great, with Ari and all!

ARE YOU FORGETTING SOMEONE? Momo screeched. She transformed into a red-faced human, jumping into the center of the campsite. Everyone stared at her in surprise.

"THERE IS AN IMPOSTER IN ELENA'S EARTHBENDING CLASS!" Momo screamed.

"Oh yeah!" Elena jumped, remembering. It was such a surprise that she had even forgotten about Xue. "There's another airbender in my class named Xue, and she's pretending to be the Avatar!"

"WHAT? Just go tomorrow without your headband!" Mer growled.

"I knew that headband was a bad idea!" Sao gasped. Everyone crowded around Elena, asking for details and such, but all Elena wanted to talk about was Ari.

What's up with you? Ari is just a little earthbender, you have to deal with Xue! Momo gasped, staring at Elena accusingly.

"What's up with you two?" Blaize asked, noticing the hostile energy between the two.

"She's just focused on Ari," Momo scoffed, folding her arms across her chest.

"Who's Ari?" Sorella asked.

"Oh, I see what this is! Ari's a hot boy, am I right?" Katelynn teased with twinkling eyes. Elena nodded reluctantly.

"So? Tell me about him!" Mer pulled Elena down to sit around the campfire. She could see out of the corner of her eye that Maria was consoling Momo's temper. Soon, they joined the group around the fire as Elena began speaking.

"He has a skateboard and he's so cute and nice and he wears his shirt like this," Elena held up her hands to show everyone her new sleeves. "And he's an awesome earthbender and a great teacher and he's even nice to Xue who's a stuck up bitch."

"Sounds hot," Mer winked. Sao gasped dramatically and punched Mer lightly on her shoulder.

"He is!" Elena sighed. Once she had vented all her feelings about Ari, she felt a lot better and somehow... lighter. "Sorry, Momo, now we should talk about Xue."

Momo looked over to Elena, and she could see the anger melting away from her eyes. "I'm sorry too, I understand the magnitude of your feelings for Ari," Momo winked, bringing a smile to Elena's face.

"So, Xue is from the Southern Air Temple, and I need to visit them sometime later on to see what exactly has corrupted them into sending a fake Avatar," Elena explained.

"Wow, this is crazy news, huh?" Mer commented absentmindedly from Sao's arms.

"Well, I have some more crazy news for you, uh, I'm the former Fire Nation Princess!" Mavi announced suddenly. Blaize looked at her for a second, slightly surprised.

"What?" Mer gasped, dumbfounded.

"Whoa," Maria whispered.

"Do you believe her?" Blaize asked expectantly.

"I do, I trust Mavi," Elena smiled. She was indeed surprised, but it did make sense. It felt like the truth.

"Just give me time to digest all of this," Sao muttered. An awkward silence filled the air.

"How about everyone else comes up with some ideas for the fake Avatar thing, while we practice firebending?" Mavi suggested awkwardly. Blaize smiled encouragingly and Elena sighed, slightly exhausted, and jumped up.

"First task, light the campfire, and don't kill anyone!" Blaize said optimistically, bringing a little smile to everyone's face. Elena snorted and focused, feeling her chi shoot out of her fingertips and into the pile of charred wood.

"Good job, much better than yesterday," Mavi smiled as the small fire cast flickering shadows over her face. She hooked her arms with Blaize tenderly and walked away from the fire, to a more secluded area away from the animal companions, expecting Elena to follow and practice firebending. Elena stood for a second, watching the two firebenders walk in harmony. Perhaps it would seem a bit rushed, but she hoped that it would be exactly what she and Ari would do one day.

Why are you so infatuated? Momo asked, casting a glance at Elena as she began following the firebending couple.

Maybe it's love at first sight.


End file.
